MyConnections to Play

Two qoutes I chose about play are:

The true object of all human life is play. G. K. Chesterton

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.  Fred Rogers

I loved to play with paperdolls when I was younger. When I played with paper dolls I would imagine it was me dressing up.


The rubix cube was a game where you had to use your brain. It took a lot of thinking and concentration to line up all the colors.


When I was younger people supported play by allowing us to play as long as we wanted, and by encouraging us to go outside to play. My parents would send me and my brother outside everyday as long as the weather permitted and our homework was finished.
Play is similar today by children still pretending to be adults when they play. Play is differnt is some ways from when I was younger by, children are more into television, video games, and computer games than going outside to play or playing with toys indoors. I hope play continues in school and I hope more parents encourage indoors and outdoors play.
I feel play is healthy for children as well as adults. You are never too old or too young to engage in play. When a person play, and have fun doing it, it gives you an overall feeling of goodness. When I was younger my brother and I would play inside together. He would play with his trucks or train set and I would ride my dolls or paper dolls on the trucks. When we would go outside we would play with our friends. I would ride my bike, skate, play hopscotch, or jump rope. We had so much fun playing outside, we never wanted to go in. During the summer we would play outside all day. As an adult the play I've engaged in is bike riding, playing computer games, video games, and playing with my granddaughter, who keeps me on my toes.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because it is satisfying to have happy and healthy relationships with people whom you trust and care for. Positive relationships are beneficial in many ways, they build your confidence, they help yoou to succeed in life, and they give you support in difficult times in your life. The list could go on.

I have positive relationships with my daughter, granddaughter, mother, father, brother, niece, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and a special friend.

My relationship with my daughter is positive because we talk to each other about almost anything and we encourage each other's success. When I enrolled to return to school she told me she was proud of me and that I was her inspiration. What contributed to and maintained our relationship is the fact that there has always been a secure attachment. This relationship is developing with my granddaughter who is three years old. She means the world to me.

The relationship I have with my mother and father contributes to the fact that they have always been there for me. Although I am an adult, I still need mom and dad. When my mother and father seperated my dad and I lost contact for a couple of years, but when we reconnected it was as if we never lost touch. My relationship with my brother is the same as my parents, we have been there for each other since day one. My brother's wife had a massive stroke two years ago and she's currently in a nursing home, this left him caring for his daughter. I help him, as much as I can, take care of her. She looks up to me like a mother. I always look forward to helping her when I can. It gives me great pleasure to help her.

My sister-in-law and mother-in-law are my late husbands sister and mother. My relationship with them developed over time as I dated my husband. When I first met them I can feel that it was going to be a positive relationship. They have always encouraged our relationship. They always made me feel at home when I would visit them. My father-in-law was apart of the positive relationship before he passed asway. They told me I brought out the best in their son and brother. We became even closer when my husband passed.

My relationship with my special friend has been good for me. We encourage each other's personal growth as well as school. He is currently in school and that makes me happy. We do our homework together sometimes. We sometimes take weekend trips just to get away. He has been an inspiration to me in many ways. Our relationship gives me feelings of enjoyment and happiness. My husband was my best friend, so when he passed a part of me passed with him. It hasn't been easy finding some one to fill those shoes. My new friend doesn't fill those shoes, but I am happy again.

There can be challenges developing and maintaining relationships. When you meet someone you're unaware if this person can be trusted. People come and go in our lives. There are times when people don't work well together. Sometimes it take years before you can develop a positive relationship with someone.

Chidren's Quotes

"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate."

Anonymous

While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about.

~Angela Schwindt

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.

~Stacia Tauscher

I chose these quotes because I feel each one has a message that we as parents, caregivers, educators, etc. can relate to.

Assessing Children

Each child is unique and learn in different ways. I think a child should be assessed not only by testing them in class, but also by observing their actions.  Observing a child's behavior that is exhibited in different environments can give you an understanding of what they may or may not know.  Their actions and behaviors should be observed when they are home, at school, out with family, and out with friends. Children sometimes act differently when they are with different people. Some children are shy and may not show their whole self around a particular person or people.

Studies in India have shown 10% of school-going children having scholastic difficulties. Scholastic problems in children are a significant source of stress for the child and the family. India did a study using a computer-based program to assess the intelligence of children ages 8-11. One group was given the computer-based training and the other was not. There was substantial improvement in cognitive performance and school marks for the computer-based group and not the other group.
What shows positive results for one child may not necessarily show positive results for the other. Each child learns differently, so it's just a matter of figuring out what works best for who.

Stress on Children's Development

When I was around 12 years old, I witnessed my 5 year old cousin suffer abuse from his mother's boyfriend. My cousin had bruises and burns on his body. The boyfriend would also beat my aunt. This is a form of violence. It was hid in the beginning. My aunt would not come around the family at first. The family started to become suspicious, so they would visit her. Once everything came out about what was going on, my cousin was taken away and given to foster parents. My aunt's boyfriend went to jail. My cousin had several surgeries for the burns on his body. We were able to see him some years later and his mom could too. My cousin is all grown-up now. He and his mother has a strained relationship. He said she didn't love him and allowed that to happen to him. He still says she doesn't love him. I think this was emotional and physical stress. I've seen him interact with his children and he shows them plenty of love. I'm glad he was able to love although he feels his mother didn't, and still doesn't, love him.

Females in India are targeted for violence more than boys. Some are beaten, raped, or killed. Sons are preferred over girls, the girls are looked upon as liabilities. This abuse comes from parents and other people in society. They are incapable of coping with anger, frustration, and stress in life, so they vent their stress on children. These stresses are physical, mental, and emotional. There has been an organization put in place in India to protect the children from any type of violence. No one, especially an innocent child, should have to suffer abuse. This can affect the development of a child in many ways. The child may grow up and become abusive them self.

Nutrition and Malnutrition

A public health topic important to me is nutrition and malnutrition. One reason I chose this topic is because every child should be receiving the adequate nutrition no matter their age. Nutrition is important because without it a child can’t grow on function normally. Cooking or buying a healthy meal will ensure the child receives the needed nutrients to survive. This topic is also important to me because I am a manager for school nutrition. I observe children everyday who rarely touch their food. I try to encourage them to eat, especially their vegetables. Vegetables seem to be the last thing touched on their tray. There are children who bring lunch from home, and these meals are not healthy. I see the children with potato chips, cookies, soda, and tasty cakes. The entrée is usually a sandwich, and they sometimes have lunchables. School meals are designed to give the child adequate calories needed for their age group.

In the Philippines, there is a high rate of malnutrition. Some reasons for the malnutrition are poverty, hunger, and food insecurity. The majority of the underweight children are from infant to five years old. Various health and nutrition programs are implementing ways to address malnutrition in the Philippines. Some of these measures are serving hot meals and milk to school children, promoting breastfeeding in the community, hospitals, and workplaces. There is much more being implemented to end malnutrition in the Philippines.

This information I learned about nutrition and malnutrition will assist me when I am an educator in the classroom. I will use what I know, along with what I learned, and pass it along to the parents. I will continue to encourage the children to eat their food and explain to them why it is important to eat all their food.

My Grandaughter's Childbirth and Childbirth in India

The childbirth I wish to  write about is that of my grandaughter. That was one of the best days of my life. I was there for the birth along with the father. My daughter was not in active labor in the begiining. The hospital was actually considering sending her home. A few hours later she was in actual labor. I held my daughter's hand and comforted her through it all. I was so excited thinking about I can't wait to hold her, who will the she look like, and how much will she weigh, all while praying for a safe birth for my daughter and granddaughter.

I chose this birth because it was a great experience participating in a birth that was an addition to my family. This birth reminded me of the day I delivered my daughter.


Birth is a wonderful experience. It is amazing to me to actually carry another living person inside you and to actually deliver this living person into this world. Once this baby is born, the thoughts of will they devlop normally, what kind of child will he or she be, what will they grow up to be, and so on.


Most women in India give birth at home with no skilled medical attendant. the infant mortality rate is high because of this. The women are isolated so they won't be around any pollution during birth. Some of the women lie down during birth, while others choose to squat on a stool or the floor.

India births are similar to the United States in regards to both have hospitals where women can give birth and women lie down to give birth.

With the quality of care being poor in India, babies have a high chance of having poor development. There needs to be more skilled medical professionals to assist in the assurance of a healthy pregnancy and delivery of the baby.