Disinfecting your keyboards…

I know that when I was working in a center environment, all the teachers used the same computer in the office for things like finding contact information on families or finding forms to print.

Imagine how ookie that keyboard must have been. There's a report in the Boston Globe today about a study of keyboards used by nurses and how they were just loaded with bacteria and such. I can see how that would be and know that in a child care environment you come across similar germs and the like.

The study tested out some disinfecting wipes to see if they would get rid of the bad stuff and yet not harm the keyboard. What worked?

"Clorox wipes, CaviWipes and Sani-Cloths. All worked well, removing 95 to 100 percent of bacteria. So did three other products, plain old 70 percent isopropyl alcohol; Vesthene, a different germicide; and a chlorine product containing 80 parts of chlorine per million."

Not a bad habit to get into before the sick season hits in a couple of months...

California wants free preschool for all

There's a proposition on the table that will provide Californians with free preschool for their 4-year-olds. It's Prop 82 and you can read more about it at yeson82.com.

A press release announced that,

"Studies show that children who go to quality preschool read earlier and learn faster. But only 20% of our children actually go to quality preschools. Prop 82 will provide a free, high-quality preschool education for every four- year old in California. It will provide trained, credentialed teachers in every classroom and more parental involvement. According to the Legislative Analyst, all revenues would be used for the new preschool program, and Prop 82 provides audits and criminal penalties, including possible jail time, for misuse of funds."

More and more states are moving toward free preschool and I think it's a great idea. It's not always easy to ensure that your child care center will have highly trained or credentialed teachers, so this is a good move. If child care centers want to compete, then they will have to start hiring better teachers, I suppose. Although it's hard to compete with "free" either way.

Snipping Six Pack Rings

When I was young, taking care of the environment, recycling and such were pretty new concepts. I remember the ads for littering featuring the Native American with a tear, and I learned that I should snip the six pack rings to prevent animals from ingesting them or getting tangled up in them.

When I started working with young children, when I would do a unit with a recycling or environment theme, this would always be a project of ours.

At the time, I think it was borne somewhat out of my own habits and also a desire to just... get them started. When you really think about it, small children have little power over the very large damage that is being done to the environment, but this is one small way to get a good habit started. If you give them that, and they feel like it is a responsibility they have, then for many, this will just be one of many habits that they develop over the course of their lives.

I know that this is how it worked for me. As an adult, I am very aware of the things I do and how they affect the environment. I drive very little and the car I drive is not a gas-guzzling SUV. I recycle way more than I put into landfills and I use services like freecycle to keep the BIG stuff out of landfills as well. I am constantly educating myself about ways I can do even more. As it is, compared to most who live in the United States, my footprint is pretty small (8 acres compared to the average 24, but that's still too big, I fear...)

So, while it may be true that something small and easy like snipping six pack rings doesn't do just a whole lot for the environment compared to the big, hard things... for kids and maybe for their parents who aren't that "in the know" about environmental issues... it is a start that could translate into a lifetime of good habits.

So include this activity (or something similar) in your lesson plans that have to do with the environment or Earth Day, etc....

FamilyFun: Little Grass House - and More Family Fun

FamilyFun: Little Grass House - and More Family Fun

This is a great idea for a spring curriculum, gardening, growing, etc. and would be so much fun for homeschoolers and school age programs.

It's a grass house that grows on sponges inside a "Tupperware dome."

Just make sure you've got a couple weeks to watch them grow.