"Q" (2/26/10)

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

~Theodore Roosevelt

Thoughts
Live in the moment, use your resources wisely, and achieve success to the best of your ability. Those are the thoughts that pop into my head when I hear or read this quote.

As a Child Care Provider, you need to keep costs as low as possible, come up with last minute activities, and keep those kids entertained. There are so many businesses out there who have tailored their services to target you. Lesson and activity plans for $5.00 (and that may be on the cheap end) per child, catalogs of every shape and color with thousands of indoor/outdoor/indestructible/multicultural/ bilingual/edible/nonedible THINGS. Do you need them? Probably not!

Use the skills you have gained from trainings and workshops, from activity books, and the internet to create project, learning experiences, and activity ideas. A little bit of this and a little bit of that and you have a masterpiece! Children are more than likely more enthused with the recycling box than choosing from boxes and boxes of toys.

Every moment in a child care setting can be turned into a learning activity. Stop worrying that you aren’t sending enough stuff home with the children. Who has room on their fridge for all of that anyway? What you are putting into their heads is more important and most parents will understand that. Your job is to fill them up with learning experiences that are fun and will stick.

As a member of society, we need to realize that there has to be an end to all this consumerism. We need to start using our resources wisely. If you can’t use it, give it to someone who can. If you aren’t going to need it in the next month, don’t purchase it. If it can be recycled, reused, or regifted, then do it!

As a parent, you are responsible for helping your child make positive choices when they are an adult. If they see you being innovative, they will strive for that also! And don’t get upset when your child comes home empty handed from child care. They probably learned how to be a great friend through sharing and not hitting, made a yummy snack or other edible artwork, or played a super fun game. Your provider has been trained for other things besides what we can put on our fridges. Remember to thank them for all of their hard work!


Quote Source
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. You can learn more about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt.