Reflection 7: 421 (Fam/ Com Relationships)

Shaelie Wood

Sister Swenson

Feb 17, 2017

ECSE 421

Reflection Week 7

The thing I love most about this class is how much application and “real life” is applied. It is not all rainbows and butterflies but this course is so raw and real. I love how many guest speakers come. This week the mother that came really changed my perspective. I loved that she talked about how judgmental she was as a parent because all her children turned out pristine. She patted herself on the back because of her children’s successes and accomplishments, and then she adopted two little boys that were not quite as pristine as her other children. They had many behavioral issues that caused her to rethink and reconstruct her idea of parenting. There were no quick easy fixes for the issues, but a lifetime of striving to be a little better than yesterday. I like that she had realistic goals for her children, and that each day is a new day.

The family projects are creating a certain amount of insight that I didn’t realize would come. I realized that we need to recognize our informal, formal, material, and informational stresses and approach them with solutions. As we did part “B” as a group, I realized that if we approached all our stresses as a certain domain- we would be able to be more open to finding resources because we knew exactly what domain that stress was found in.

Weekly Quote:

“Keep hope in the face of reality… there is a cap on development, the goals are realistic and we need to adjust our expectations.” (–Guest Speaker)

Her realism is optimism because she is not letting her situation in that moment affect her. She accepts that her two boys will progress but to different potentials than her other older children.

HWD Paragraph:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_toddler-fine-motor-skills-drawing-and-scribbling_12573.bc

Toddler fine motor skills: Drawing and scribbling

Sometime between the ages of 12 and 18 months, your toddler will probably attempt to "write" by making marks on paper, and sometime between 18 and 24 months she may surprise you by drawing vertical and horizontal lines and perhaps a circle. 

Applaud these early doodles, which encourage a whole raft of new abilities: Drawing with a crayon involves fine motor skills such as grasping and holding, for instance, as well as boosting your child's visual acumen and tapping her imagination.

Set up your budding artist with big sheets of thick paper taped to the table — after all, nothing inhibits creativity like a dismayed shriek from Mom when the crayon slides onto the tablecloth or rips through thin newsprint. Thick, sturdy crayons or washable pens in a few primary colors (so as not to overwhelm) are a good choice. 

If your toddler isn't interested, offer some alternatives: Chunky sidewalk chalk to use outdoors, paper pinned to an easel instead of a flat surface, or soap crayons in the tub might pique her interest.

And don't forget finger-painting. While learning how to hold and manipulate an implement is important, finger-painting gives your toddler's fine motor skills and creativity a workout, too. 

If she's tired of paints, try printing. Hand- and footprints on paper makes great gift wrap. Or tap into her interest in nature and brush leaves, acorns, carrot-tops, or flower petals with paint to use as homemade stamps.
For a special treat, let her finger-paint with pudding or bright-colored fruit juice — she'll exercise her motor skills and have fun licking her fingers.

Get more ideas for helping your toddler develop fine motor skills.