Katie Crosses the Monkey Bars

Feel What You Want, Control What You Do

I found this short article (http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/providers/dealing.html) and thought I'd share part of it:

One of the most valuable skills we can teach children is how to express strong emotions without hurting themselves, others or damaging property. What we want our children to learn is: feel what you want, but control what you do. Begin by communicating with the child in a non-judgmental way, showing her you understand how she feels. Perhaps she's angry or sad because someone won't let her play or perhaps she wants something so badly, she can't wait another minute for it. Whatever the cause, the first thing to do is to put those feelings into words for her. Encourage the child to say the feelings out loud and tell the other person how she feels. If the child's too young or inexperienced to know what to say, model a simple sentence for her to copy. Finally, do whatever else is necessary to resolve the situation.
        Of course, adults lose their temper and must learn to control their anger. The important thing to remember is that the same rule applies: feel what you want, but control what you do. You can't fool children by denying you are upset or angry or frightened. It's better to simply admit it as calmly as possible.

Doodlebug!!

Addie & Welden helped Doodlebug with a magic trick!

Clowning Around

Grant & Ben clowning around!

Today we introduced our Circus unit... the kids hads fun clowning around, listening to stories about the circus & painting clowns!  Next Friday, Doodle Bug will be putting on a show for our class:)

Claire, Katie, Allison & Faith

Sidewalk Art!

Friends create some art on the playground with sidewalk chalk!

"Man Bites Dog!"

Or should I say "Boy Bites Dog" ?  This weekend we went to South Austin's Trailer Park & Eatery were we sampled the best "hot dogs" ever! I tried the My Big Fat Greek Dog which was a merguez lamb sausage w/tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers & feta cheese!  YUM-O!!!  There were several other places to try & since you get to sit outside on picnic benches it's a great place to take the kids!