Pathways of Wonder

Dear My Toy Garden friend,

     With the weather totally perfect outside this week, I feel the urge to wander.  To see what is around the next bend, to explore a new path.  Don't you?  From your first visit to My Toy Garden, you'll find that our store is a bit different.  Here you'll find the Pathways of Wonder.  This is the core of the store...it's heart.
     There are 7 Pathways of Wonder.  I created these based on my years in the classroom observing my students.  I taught in some very challenging schools and yet had some students who thrived in spite of tough obstacles.  Why?  What I saw was those that were successful were so because they had had an opportunity to explore many different areas to see where their natural gifts fell.  This is powerful knowledge to have!  Rather than be stuck in a box that says you must like crafts because you are a girl or you must like vehicles because you are a boy, we do children a major disservice when we consciously or subconsiously narrow their explorations.
    Everyone should have the opportunity to explore all 7 Pathways of Wonder and see what hidden gifts might be discovered!  Have you explored all 7?  Which one is your gift?  Which one is your child's?  Are you sure?  :-)  We look forward to your next wandering in the garden!

Literacy
     A child can never have enough books or music in their life!  From the love of language and real world experiences with letters and words to the fine motor skills of turning pages to the bonding that comes from enjoying them together, this is THE most important thing you can give your child.

Puzzles and Patterns
    All academic areas have a foundation in patterns.  The more your child can explore patterns as part of their play, the stronger their foundation for academic success will be.  Some puzzles are open-ended teaching creativity.  Others have one path to completion giving problem solving opportunities and  self esteem building that come from an excited “I did it!” as the last piece clicks into place.

Construction
    Future engineers and problem solvers come from those who build with a variety of materials.  Your child’s imagination is the only limit to his open-ended play teaching problem solving and creativity.

Games
     Through the play of games, we not only learn academic skills but also critical social skills such as sharing, turn taking, problem solving and how to win and lose gracefully.   Your child learns skills for making and retaining strong friendships through playing games.

Creative Expression
     Whether with crayons, pencils, glue or paper or dressing up as a fairy or a firefighter, your child learns to express emotions with this pathway.  While academics are important, healthy social emotional development is equally important.

Sensory Exploration
   As an infant, your child uses of all their senses as much as possible for brain development.  Look for toys that stimulate sight, sound, smells and textures.  This leads to science exploration in the older child helping them question and experiment with the world around them.

Active Play Toys
    With the lure of electronics calling our children and making our lives easier for the mere moment, you need to make a conscious decision to encourage active play in your child.  Obesity is a growing trend in our children that can be reversed with the healthy choices we help foster both in foods we eat and exercise we get.

Playfully,
Toylady Janet

That One Day in the Car Pool LIne

     Mrs. Jackson had been running all day.   She'd been late to work, in meetings all day, no time for lunch and now she was late for a doctor's appointment.  She inched her way along the car pool pickup line moving half a car length for each minute that ticked by.  She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, tapped her foot, muttered curse words.  When she finally reached Charlesa and Charles, she was a bursting volcano who unleased her full fury on the 2 teachers working the car pool lane that day.  The two tired teachers were speechless.
     Follow me to time six weeks earlier.  It's October and my 4th grade classroom is humming.  We are settled into routines, friendships made, expectations clear.  Life is good.  And then Charlesa arrives.  She is beautiful, tall, smart and has the art of head bobbing, back talking attitude perfected.
      Day One, Charlesa calls another child names. Day One, I call Mrs. Jackson and say how nice Charlesa's handwriting is.  I say, in our classroom, we speak respectfully to one another.
      Day Four, Charlesa "accidently" trips another student.  Day Four, I call Mrs. Jackson to say Charlesa is a great reader.  I say, in our classroom, we are respectful with our hands and feet.
    Day Ten, Charlesa tears a student's art project.  Day Ten, I call Mrs. Jackson to say how Charlesa does great arriving to class on time.  I say, in our classroom, we are respectful of other's things.
    And so it goes, day after day for the first six weeks of her arrival.  A battle of the wills.  Her need to be noticed.  My need for respectful behavior.  My relationship with both mother and daughter beginning to grow.
      And then the day of the Mt. Vesuvius car pool pickup.  The 2 tired teachers told me the tale.  I call Mrs. Jackson.  "Tell me what happened," I begin.  I listen.  She vents.  My turn.
     "I want you to know Mrs. Jackson, those 2 teachers you tore apart are good friends of mine.  The safety of children at the end of the day is a big responsibility that they take very seriously.  I'm sorry you were running late.  Your words were very hurtful.  The worst part is that as you spewed hateful words on them you were being watched by four little eyes.  Four little eyes who look up to you and model themselves after you.  Is this what you want them to learn?"  Silence.  I feel a shift.  We say our goodbyes.
   The next morning before school starts, Mrs. Jackson shows up in my classroom with four little eyes alongside and 2 notes written in her handwriting apologizing to the 2 teachers.  She explained she was taking them with her to apologize in person to each teacher.  One victory for us all.
   Teachers do so much more than teach abc's and 123's.  Teachers guide young souls to grapple with academics but also tough character lessons as they go.  A skilled teacher touches a child's life not for a month or year but for a lifetime.  On this week of Teacher Appreciation, take a moment to write in your own handwriting a few words of sincere appreciation for what a teacher has done for you.  I suspect, they, like me and the file folder of notes I have tucked away, will treasure it forever.
Playfully,
Toylady Janet

My Toy Garden is happy to help you celebrate the special teachers in your life with perfect classroom gifts or My Toy Garden gift certificates to let them shop on their own.

The Boy Who Almost Wasn't

  Kristy was excited about the days and months ahead!  She had a terrific husband who she was moving into a new dream house with.   Hannah, her 18-month-old, was adorable and everything a toddler could be.  Kristy was also expecting their 2nd child...a son...Mason. 
      All was great for the first 24 weeks until Kristy had pre term labor sending her to the doctor's office.  There he told them that they could have a procedure to stop the labor and keep it at bay for several weeks.  "It won't really matter though," he continued.  "The fetus has suffered a Stage 4 stroke and is severely brain damaged.  He will probably not live and, if he does, he'll most likely be totally noncommuicative and immobile."  Words a parent hears in their worst nightmares.  
    Kristy and her husband decided to follow their instincts and let the pregnancy take its natural course believing that things would be okay.  After 3 months of complete bedrest, Mason arrived.  As the doctor's has predicted, he was on complete life support unable to breathe.   Kristy and her husband still did not give up hope.  At two weeks old, Mason suddenly began to respond.  He was taken off all of the life support equipment and came home soon after.  
    That was 5 years ago.  Doctors will tell you that Mason is missing part of his brain. That there is no way he should be able to talk, to read, to walk.   He does all those things and so much more!  He is a kindergartener in Westfield, is right on target with his peers academically, got in trouble for "running" down the hallway and plays baseball.  When you believe that life is impossible, think of Mason and how this impossible boy is, oh so very full of...possibilities!  
Playfully,
Toylady Janet

Crackers in My Pantyhose

     In a time not so long ago, the conversation went like this.  "First, please put these crackers in this baggie and mush them up.  Good! Let's throw them in this blender and add a little water.  Definitely helping now.  Hmm...let's add some green and red food coloring for some enzyme action.  Now we'll really break things down with a good whirl in the blender.  What's next? Oh yeah, time for a long journey for the crackers.  Let's pour them into these pantyhose and who can help me squeeze, squeeze, squeeze them on their way."
   "Ewwww!"  would always come the cries from my class.  Teaching the digestive system was one of my favorite units.  The students while protesting one moment and giggling the next would help me send the crackers through our pretend large intestine and out into a wet plop at the end.  The role of their teeth, tongues, saliva, stomach, digestive enzymes and intestines etched in their memories in a way no book passage ever could.
  Science, what an amazing world of wonders it holds!  I used to run a K-5 science lab in my pre mommy days and loved it!  My goal was to give boys AND girls access to the wonder that was all around them. To bring to life the nonfiction books and science passages.  A recent conversation with a customer was about how, as a child, she went to summer school and made a pond.  Literally made a pond.  Dug it out and filled it. Learning about the plants and animals needed for a healthy ecosystem.  Memories very vivid for her to this day.
   This is the kind of play My Toy Garden encourages.  We have many great inspiration pieces in our science section that can turn a seed into a world of questions and observations that are way, way more fun than any app out there!  There is the new Root Viewer, Butterfly Hatching Kits, Squishy Brain, Yuck Buckets, Science Behind Magic Tricks and some great Magic School Bus kits from volcanos and dinosaurs to flight and space.  You haven't done any science with your child?  Don't miss this Pathway of Wonder to see if there might be hidden talents and interests just waiting to be discovered!  See you in the garden very soon!

Playfully,
Toylady Janet