Nannypalooza Conference 2011

Nannypalooza Conference

Nov. 5-6, 2011

Elliott City, MD

EARLY BIRD ENDS JULY 1st! 

The following info is from www.nannypalooza.com 

check it out for ALL the information and to get registered. 

The theme this year is Get CLUED in! We will be having all kinds of fun promoting the conference with our theme and our facebook page. Make sure you “like” us at www.facebook.com/nannypalooza. Watch for special clues to win prizes! 

Workshops are still being confirmed, but previous years we have had sessions on topics such as infant feeding, understanding teenagers, infant sign language, interview and portfolio tips, outdoor education, using music and art with preschoolers, working with special needs and more! For a sneak peek at what we are working on- click here! 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: 

Saturday morning

8:00 continental breakfast and registration

8:30 opening session

9:00 workshop 

10:30 workshop

12:00 lunch

2:15 workshop

3:30 networking break and snack

4:15 workshop

dinner on your own

7:00 nanny social event (limited space available) 

game night and light snack 

extra cost $15 per person

Sunday morning

8:30 workshop

10:00 breakfast buffet

11:00 workshop

12:15 closing session and raffle giveaways

Saturday night social event for nannies!! 

Game Night

Join us for some fun and games. There will be a light snack provided. We will play some fun group games, cards or board games. Have a game you love? Bring it along. Sit down and enjoy chatting with all your new friends. Relax and unwind after a long day of conference sessions. There is limited space available for this activity so be sure to sign up when you register. 

Note: Because of our agreement with the hotel, there will be no refunds given for this event. If you sign up and find that you can not attend, you are welcome to find someone to take your place, but your money can not be refunded. Sorry for any inconvenience. 

Friday night dinner

Arriving on Friday night for the conference? Come on down to the hotel restaurant and join us for dinner. There is no set time- we will be there from 6:00 until 9:00 pm. Everyone gathers, happy to see old friends and welcome new attendees into our friendly community. Dinner is on your own dime, and it would be great if you can bring cash. There is a menu on the hotel website. Let us know when you register if you are coming so that we can watch for you!


Check out my experience traveling to Nannypalooza a few years back in Washington DC! I had a great time and really encourage you to look into it four yourself! 

Nannypalooza 2009 Recap 

Quick Tip Tuesday: "What To Do" Jar

By: Amy Miller 

 

Woo Hoo!!! Summer is here!!!

 

My favorite season is summer. I can't wait to find a cute summer dress, matching pair of flip flops- I could wear flip flops all year long-, and sit by the pool with a good book and glass of lemonade. Yes, I love summer! However, as a nanny (along with millions of parents) I am aware with summer comes summer break, which comes the dreaded B-word.

 

Bored... Bored... Bored!!!

 

What to do with those summer boredom blues?

 

Let's make a "What To Do" Jar or "I'm Bored" Jar. The girls and I made a list of things they love to do- play outside, ride bikes, blow bubbles, color, watch a movie etc.. (This is an activity in it self that will occupy the kiddos for a while) Then we wrote each fun activity on a sticky note. Stuffing the notes inside a jar, we now had our "What To Do" (when I'm bored) Jar.

 

Whenever I hear the B-word I send the girls to the jar. Most of the time, we pull out 2 or 3 activities and the girls chose. Giving kids a few ideas instead of a whole list will make it easier for them to decide. Sometimes, we trust in the luck of the draw. Whatever activity we pull out first is the one that will scare away the boredom monster.

 

Here is a suggestion I read online from a parent with older children... If they complain of boredom, offer some chores to keep them busy. I'm sure they will find something to do quickly and the complaining will disappear. 

 

Hopefully no one has summer boredom blues. Happy Summer Everyone!

Response to Kumon

By: Trisha Knueven


Today we feature Nanny Trisha's personal response to the article Fast-tracking to Kindergarten (article in the New York Times) . Please click on the link and read. What is your response? 

After reading this article my heart goes out to all the parents and children who are sucked into this mentality.  Yes, you read that right they are being sucked into it thinking that this is the latest, newest, perhaps best way for their precious child to have the added advantage in life.  That could not be the farthest from the truth in my opinion! 

I have been in the childcare field for going on 17 years now and I know that the age between birth and kindergarten (around age 5) is a special time in a child’s life.  This is the time children learn a great deal about how to function in every domain: language, physical, social, emotional, intellectual.  They are very busy learning through play that they create based on what is happening in their lives.  To that note I would like to add that a child cannot thrive and excel to the best of their ability if they are left in an environment that is not stimulating or not interactive to the extent that they need.  That is where preschool and every learning through play enter the picture.  The Kumon approach is not learning through play like children need.  It will not allow them to become inquisitive thinkers with the imagination and spontaneity that children need to solve problems.

This article, I strongly feel, is starting a trend of entering children into school once they are 2 and potty trained.  All the more pressure to start schooling children at even younger ages.  Yes, the United States as a country has a true problem with the educational system.  I couldn’t agree with that more.  If our education system was healthy and doing what it should I would be a happy elementary school teacher by now.  I have spent time in the classroom setting in traditional schools and have been able to even compare them to the Montessori system.  I still feel that a blended approach will reap the greatest results.  However, I strongly feel that Kumon is not the answer!  Just like “Teach Your Baby to Read” is not the answer.  Children are very naïve and gullible especially when they get a feeling that they are a “big” kid earlier or that they are so much better than their peers.  It’s based on the early superego stage that children of this age are passing through.  Small, appropriate introductions to language, writing, reading, and math can be made during these years in a way that does not drill and pressure child into learning.  For many parents this is uncharted waters because what children need today looks much differently from what parents were raised with.  The gap is closing though!  Drilling children like their parents were drilled as children is not the answer.  Yes, it brings about early skills and perhaps inflates the image of super life-long achievers, but if children do not learn all the skills of the social world before they are placed in a school setting they will not know what to do when faced with it in traditional classrooms.  I have recently personally discovered this with the child in my care.  She is very bright and intelligent and for the first time she is learning hard lessons in peer pressure.  Perhaps she was never socially challenged as a preschooler and did not learn the skills to deal with life in a productive way.  She is finding it very hard to navigate and now she is stumbling over and over again to learn and put into practice basic social skills.  I mostly fear that with young children, granted they are eager learners, they need to learn things that are not on charts, worksheets, and in books during the preschool years so that they will have that under their belts when they open the books.

Rewards systems and grading systems set children up to feel like inadequate failures.  This is an old-fashioned way of encouraging and evaluating the learning that takes place.  This ruins a child’s ego and sense of accomplishment.  Any literature you could read about why Montessori education models are working over the traditional classroom will show you this.  Just pull out some literature from Alfie Kohn and read it with an open mind.  The long term damage outweighs the short term gains!  The focus needs to be on what happens long term!  Do you want to help a child develop a feeling of life-long failure?  Of having to be drilled by a smarter person and not know how to function once a smarter person leaves the picture?  There is a great debate about which education system is the most beneficial and I can for certain say from reading this article that a Kumon approach just brings the traditional way into preschoolers lives with a long-term potential harm factor.

Preschoolers need to learn how to handle friends, peer influences, peer pressure, etc. that is not and cannot be explicitly taught like reading, writing, and math.  The preschool years are the best time for children to learn these things.  The words of a young school agers keep repeating in my mind, “My teacher says not to tattle tale.”  For this child the teacher fails to teach a student the social skills that this child has lacked and needs desperately in order to be successful in school life.  Why does the teacher ignore the needs of this student in this particular way?  Because the teacher is not held accountable for how a child feels emotionally.  Teachers are only graded on the output: how much a child learns according to the state’s curriculum guidelines.  If children are turned away from learning the fundamentals about how to live and function in our world by early book learning, I fear that children will lack the social skills and possibly the physical skills to gain life-long achievements.  I understand that Kumon is only a few times a week in short spurts, but I caution everyone to really think about the message this is sending young children.  Already technology has stolen a great deal from everyone and at the same time we have seen obesity soar.  What will this steal from our innocent, naïve children?  There is so much time for learning in the school years.  I strongly feel that those years are where the worksheets, drill chart, etc. belong!

What do you think? 

I’M IN LOVE! (My Britax Stroller Review)

By: Greta Schraer

Yes, yes, I am in love. It was love at first sight! ….OK, maybe it was love at first demo.

A few months back, my mother-in-law and I went to check out a new baby store in our city. At that time I was only 12 weeks pregnant, but I wanted to see if it was a place I would register. I planned to buy nothing. When we got to the stroller section I was amazed at the options floor to ceiling. As a nanny, I never got to pick out a stroller, but had used many brands and kinds. It was a little overwhelming just looking at the options, but as I talked to mom I explained it must function well and have great maneuverability. Beyond that, I had given no thought to what I wanted.

We saw a store employee doing a demonstration with the Britax B-ready and stopped to “ooh” and “ah” with the other ladies. He quickly removed and replaced toddler seats and infant car seats with ease. He then folded the whole stroller to stand on it’s own. My appreciation for multi-purpose and multi-function had my eyes locked. “What else can it do?”, I thought. That is when I saw this stroller become a double! WOW. As the demo concluded, I had to get closer. I was anxious to get my hands on this stroller and see if it FELT as good as it looked. To my surprise it glided on the floor with the use of only one hand. That was the moment. See I have worked the last few years with triplets (they were babies, toddlers, and now preschoolers). We used a variety of strollers with the boys over the years, and I often longed for that comfortable and easy push I’d felt that day on the B-Ready. The employee spoke about the stroller from personal experience as he had purchased one for his own 2 year old child;  he knew the ends and outs of how it worked and the safety it brought to his family. I took a few pictures as we left. I was determined to do my research before I invested in the stroller and car seat.

To see all the pictures and read the rest of this article click this link: REGARDING NANNIES: I’M IN LOVE! (My Britax Stroller Review)

Nanny 101: Lifetime of Learning

School maybe out for the summer… but that is just for your kids. Here at Regarding Nannies we promote learning throughout the whole year. In fact, that is the subject of today’s lecture.  Thanks for stopping into class, let’s get started so we can have an early dismissal.

Nanny 101: Lifetime of Learning
By: Greta Schraer

Over the last few years, I have had the privilege to meet so many nannies from all over the country. Nannies that have been in this career for years and years and nannies that are just beginning to navigate this world. I have come to realize that just like many other careers, the backgrounds are wide in variety. Many nannies have degrees in education or social work, others studied art or business. Some have started in a Nanny Training School, where the focus is preparing their pupil to care for children and the job as a nanny. And some started their career right out of high school. Though there is no sole standard of training like there is in other countries, knowledge and experience  for a nanny are imperative and valued.

Read the rest of this article here: REGARDING NANNIES: Nanny 101: Lifetime of Learning

Quick Tip Tuesday: Meltdown Mayhem

By: Trisha Knueven

Many of the behavior dilemmas that a caregiver experiences can be explained by factors that aren't always so obvious.  I've used an ABC chart to pinpoint what is going on in a given situation with a child to figure out if there is something less obvious going on behind the scenes.  ABC stands for Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence.  The antecedent is what is happening right before the behavior took place.  This can be crucial to figuring out why the behavior is happening.  Then you can easily list the behavior and consequence.  Keeping an ABC log over the course of a week can help pinpoint these hidden causes.  For instance, perhaps the child in your care is experiencing a blood sugar drop every morning around the same time.  Instead of saying they are hungry (which children have to be taught to do) the child has a meltdown over something that is insignificant.  Or, perhaps the log shows that a child is just over scheduled with fun activities and doesn't have enough free choice time to regroup.  Sometimes even I have been guilty for reacting to a meltdown instead of taking a proactive approach.  However, when I take the time to be proactive and identify the cause of the negative behavior, I have the power to change the situation in the future and perhaps there will not be another meltdown.  Instead I just might find that I have a happy, smiling child who feels understood.

Around Town: Free Movies!

By: Greta Schraer

Did you know that many cinemas offer free kid movies during the summer? They are older releases, but most kids don't care at all! I loved taking the boys last year to experience the movie theatre and be able to teach them behavior - - for free! One time we had to leave early with a potty problem, but it was no big deal considering the movie was free. 

Check your local theatre to see what they offer, it will be something like this! 

The following movies are FREE FOR KIDS AND ACCOMPANYING ADULTS!

at the Pierce Point Cinema 10. 1255 W. Ohio Pike, Amelia.

 

 

ALL SHOWS WEDNESDAYS 10:00 AM

 

JUNE 8  HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON  (1 HR 38 MIN)

 

JUNE 15  DESPICABLE ME   ( 1 HR 35 MIN)

 

JUNE 22  CATS & DOGS REVENGE KITTY GALORE  (1 HR 22 MIN)

 

JUNE 29  ALPHA & OMEGA  (1hr 30 min)

 

JULY 6 LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: OWLS OF GA'HOOLE  (1 HR 30 MIN)

 

JULY 13  MEGAMIND  (1 HR 36 MIN)

 

JULY 20   YOGI BEAR   (1 HR 22 MIN)

 

JULY 27  THE KARATE KID  (2 HR 20 )

 

AUGUST 3   SHREK FOREVER AFTER  ( 1 HR 33 MIN )

Joining a Playgroup: Part 2

By: Karen Musclow

Now that I’ve shared with you about why I chose to join a playgroup and how it’s worked out for us, I thought I’d share some tips about what to look for when deciding if a playgroup is right for you.

1. Are you able to participate in outings at least once a month? Most groups request this of you as a minimum requirement. Take note of when and where the group usually meets. A good group will use all weekdays at varying times. Mine often starts outings at 10:30 with very little variation on that. However, that works for me.

2. Have you asked your employers if they’re okay with you officially joining a group? Who will pay the dues (often $5-$20/year)? Are there any questions they have of the group? For example, Mrs. D wanted to ensure that the children in the group were up-to-date on their vaccinations. Though I didn’t ask each specific mom, I did speak with the leaders who assured me they knew of no one in the group to be anti-vaccinations. This was a good enough answer for my boss.

3. Are you and your charges fairly open to new people and experiences? A playgroup may not be the best choice for an especially shy child. On the other hand, a small group may be just what that child needs! T prefers to stay home every day. But, once I get him out the door, he enjoys all of our trips and loves to play with other children.

4. Are the children in the group similar age to your charges? Though it’s great to expose children to older and younger ones, at least some of the children should be close in age to those you care for.

5. Are activities affordable? Look for a wide variety of outings including some that are free (such as meeting at a park) and many others under $10. Excepting the zoo and museum (we have membership), I think my group has only done 1 outing that cost us over $15.

6, If the playgroup often meets in people’s homes, make extra sure that your employers are aware of and okay with that. Also, check to see if you’d be expected to host a meet-up. If you’re comfortable doing that, you can ask your employers. Otherwise, check with the group leaders to see if you could avoid that or host at a local park instead.

7. A good playgroup will be flexible. Meaning, they’ll understand if you have to back out at the last minute or if you need to leave early. This shouldn’t be a problem at all. After all…they all have children too!

8. How do you find a playgroup? I suggest checking www.Momslikeme.com  and www.Meetup.com.

In the end, the most important thing is to find a group that you and the children you care for are comfortable with and enjoy being around. Have fun!