Finding YOUR Play

She has been studying play. Her thesis was about teachers’ views on play in the curriculum. Now she shifts her attention to well being in the early childhood educator workforce. Teachers need play too. Go have fun and read this blog by the magnificent Kelcie Burke who is our guest blogger this month.

Finding YOUR Play

Recently, I went on a trip with my extended family, and it reminded me about the importance of play across all ages. Now I don’t mean the playing you may be picturing with toys or that children are seen engaging in. I am talking about finding your play as an adult.

This recent trip included family members aged 82 to 5 months old. During and upon reflection of the trip I saw every person engaging in ‘play’. Some more literally than others. This trip provided my family with the opportunity to connect with one another in an environment that encouraged what I would call adult play. There were no jobs to worry about, just freedom to explore the environment we were in, observe our surroundings, try new things, and most importantly be present with one another.

This is at the same amusement park my mom played at as a kid

Those traits are not only hallmarks of play in early childhood where children are using playful activities to learn about themselves, their peers, and the environment, but also can be considered play in adulthood. Play as an adult is about finding joy in life through participating in activities that bring you happiness. This is a secret ingredient in life. Playing with friends and family provides a sense of fulfillment in the adult years, helps reduce and relieve stress, and creates more meaningful relationships.

There is an uncontested need for play in early childhood education for development, but what is less advocated for is the need for play in adulthood. Play in adulthood looks undeniable different from play in childhood, but it is no less important. Some people may find ‘play’ in hiking while others may ‘play’ by crafting.

In his book “Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul” author Stuart Brown with co-author Christopher Vaughan provides a vignette of a woman that was feeling deeply dissatisfied with her very lucrative job and life in general until she thought about what things she did in childhood that made her feel happy. She realized upon reflecting on her ‘play history’ that riding horses brought her undeniable joy. Once she reincorporated horseback riding into her routine her fulfillment was restored. This is the power of play. We may call it ‘stress relief’, ‘me time’, ‘seeing friends’, ‘vacation’, or any other name but at its heart it is play.

I encourage each of you to find the play in your life and engage in it often!

Reference: Brown, Stuart L, and Christopher C Vaughan. Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. New York, Avery, 2009.

Playtime is good for children and adults.

“Finding YOUR Play” was written by guest blogger, Kelcie Burke.

Bio: My name is Kelcie Burke I am a first year PhD student at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln working on a doctorate in Human Sciences specializing in Child Development/Early Childhood Education. I have had a passion for working with families and children since my undergraduate years. I am a play researcher and advocate with interests in the use of play for learning and development as well as teacher practices.

Kelcie Burke in her university lab school.

What was I thinking?

I’ll tell you. I was thinking of jingles.

Have you ever wondered who writes jingles? Why do they write them? We all write. Probably everyday we write something. Could be a list of groceries needed from the store, email, birthday card, note tucked into your daughter’s lunch box, or to do list. In the past week, how many different things have you written? If you add it all up, I’m guessing it is a lot of words.

I just finished a manuscript where I was writing about writing. My paper is about scholarly writing where I share a rubric I created for giving feedback on papers. I’m hoping to use this paper with my student scholars. This got me thinking… what if our academic papers came with music?

Me smiling with laptop open and writing (while humming jingles) in a coffee shop.

If your academic paper was a jingle, what would it be? Here are some papers I wrote in the past and a 1980s television jingle that I’d like to go with some of my papers.

Paper #1. Jingle: I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing. (Soda)

Coca Cola had this beautiful song with the words, “in perfect harmony.” I wrote a chapter for an edited book on ways the world came together during the COVID-19 crisis. My chapter was about how to connect families during the pandemic to create harmony and services for their children (Macy, 2022). “I’d like to teach the world to sing”…about connecting children to high quality services they have a right to by harmoniously collaborating with their families (sung to the tune of the jingle).

Paper #2. Jingle: B-O-L-O-G-N-A. (Cold cuts)

When I write grants, I usually try to find an acronym that is easy to remember. A paper I wrote with Dr. Stefano Bagnato used a convention that reminds me of a jingle for Oscar Mayer deli meats.

“My bologna has a first name,

It’s O-S-C-A-R.

My bologna has a second name,

It’s M-A-Y-E-R.

Oh I love to eat it everyday,

And if you ask me why I’ll say,

’Cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.”

We used R-E-A-L to share information about authentic assessment (Macy & Bagnato, 2010). The article is entitled, “Keeping it R-E-A-L.” My husband came up with the idea for the title. I’m always talking to the hubs about my writing, and we have collaborated on many writing projects together. “And if you ask me why I’ll say” authentic assessment is a way to keep it R-E-A-L for kids (sung to the tune of the jingle).

Paper #3. Jingle: I Don’t Wanna Grow Up. (Toys)

Toys R Us had a commercial that was about growing up with toys. The jingle had the words, “There’s a million toys at Toys R Us that I can play with.” It’s hard for me not to smile when this tune gets into my head. I wrote a paper about a toy that uses an online data management tool to assess young children. The interactive assessment tool can be used with play (Macy, 2010). “There’s a million toys”…out there that can make assessment fun for grown-ups and kids (sung to the tune of the jingle). 

Paper #4. Jingle: Give Me A Break. (Chocolate)

The jingle for Kit Kat chocolate bars goes, “Give me a break, give me a break. Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar. You can keep it to yourself but it wouldn’t be fair.” This jingle reminds me of the importance of sharing and caring for others. One way we can foster positive interactions with families is by using positive and effective communication strategies (Macy, Bagnato, & Weiszhaupt, 2019). I wrote this with Dr. Stefano Bagnato from the University of Pittsburgh and Dr. Krisztina Weiszhaput who was my doctoral student at the University of Central Florida at the time. My jingle for this paper would go something like, “Break me off a piece of”… your time, attention, and support for our family (sung to the tune of the jingle).

Paper #5. Jingle: The best part of waking up. (Coffee)

The Folgers Coffee jingle features the iconic line, "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup." I wake up excited to grab a coffee and start writing. One of my favorite things to write about is authentic assessment. Yes, the environment can be a third teacher, but it can also be considered for how we observe and assess children. The authenticity of spaces can help or hinder an accurate assessment of child development (Macy, 2023). “The best part of waking up”…is creating spaces that are conducive to authentic assessment and learning (sung to the tune of the jingle).

Paper #6. Jingle: Like a good neighbor. (Insurance)

This jingle was written by musician Barry Manilow for State Farm. Being a good neighbor shows up a lot in the things I like to write. I wrote about a way to make community environments more neighborly for children and their families by capturing their dreams. The paper was about a way to create individualized goals for children with their families and professionals (Macy, 2024). “Like a good neighbor,” early childhood educators are there (sung to the tune of the jingle).

Paper #7. Jingle: Give me a Dew! (Soda)

Give me a book and I am a happy camper. Mountain Dew soda pop jingle goes, “Give me a mountain and nothing to do.” The idea of nothing to do but enjoy alpine air and a book sounds great to me. If you are new to academic writing, try writing a book review. It is a fun way to write about a book that moved you in some way. I love Michael Guralnick’s book on the Developmental Systems Approach, and enjoyed reviewing it for a publisher and then writing a book review that got published in a journal (Macy, 2005). “Give me” time to write with a nice smelling candle, Andrea Bocelli singing, and flowers on my desk (sung to the tune of the jingle). And a pretty view of mountains wouldn’t hurt either.  

Paper #8. Jingle: Be a pepper. (Soda)

Musician, Randy Newman, wrote the jingle for Dr. Pepper soda pop. The earworm is, “Be a pepper. Drink Dr. Pepper.” I am a professor and have the fantastic job of preparing university students for careers. Adult learners gain competencies in our university programs that will probably translate into careers for them. A paper I wrote with two of my graduate students (Maria Spinetti Rincón and Melissa Hogan Ault) was based on a study we did related to electronic communication and writing emails for parents (Macy, Spinetti Rincón, & Hogan, 2020). The jingle I’d write is, “Be a teacher. Be a GOOD teacher” (sung to the tune of the jingle).

Paper #9. Jingle: Plop plop, fizz fizz. (Antacid)

Alka-Seltzer has a jingle that goes, “Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is.” As a doctoral student, I felt relieved when Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak invited me to write a paper with her and two other doctoral students. It was my first published paper and it was about activity-based intervention resources (Pretti-Frontczak, Barr, Macy, & Carter, 2003). I worried that I’d never get anything published, and it was such a relief when it happened one year before I graduated with a Ph.D. in special education. Thank you for teaching me about writing a journal article for publication, Kristie! (sung to the tune of the jingle).

Paper #10. Jingle: Stuck on. (Band aids)

How do theoretical perspectives stick? I have spent many hours thinking about child development theories. I teach classes at the university about theoretical foundations. It is no wonder I was thrilled to write a paper about the underlying theories that make up the activity-based intervention approach (Macy, 2007). Johnson & Johnson hired the magnificent musician Barry Manilow to write this jingle with the following words, “I am stuck on Band-Aid brand, 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me. I am stuck on Band-Aid brand, 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me. 'Cause they hold on tight no matter what on fingers, toes and knees… I am stuck on Band-Aid brand, 'cause Band-Aid helps heal me!” My jingle would go: I am stuck on theories that help to better understand growth and development in humans (sung to the tune of the jingle).

What was I thinking when I wrote or co-wrote these 10 papers? I was probably thinking how could I write something that would be useful for teachers, families, and their children. I was probably humming while my fingers tapped their way across the keyword, or scribbled words on scratch paper. Jingle all the way.

It makes comparisons between the environment and teaching in the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, where the classroom setting is like a third teacher. Growing up, the television was a third teacher in our house. I had three categories of “teachers” in my home. Number one was my family. Number two were the ladies who visited our home to get their hair done in my mom’s beauty shop that was in our house next to the garage. Number three was the ever-present hum of the television set. Early teachers were Fred Rogers on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and the people on Sesame Street.

Our television was like wallpaper in a room-- always there in the background. With only four choices for ABC, NBC, PBS, and CBS stations, our television was on for most of our waking hours. You could determine what time of day it was by the temperature on the TV. Our 1980s television was hot by the end of the day. If it was cold, it was morning. If your hand burned by touching the television, then it was nighttime.

Maybe one of the benefits of growing up with the television set on for major portions of the day is that I have an emotional response for commercial jingles. It’s a connection to tunes and lyrics. Some people dislike commercials. Not me. I love when the commercials interrupt television shows.

Entertain yourself with writing about a topic you care deeply about, and with the kind of epic passion found on television soap operas! Say what you need to say with your writing and your heart wide open.

What the heck was I thinking? Well, now I’m thinking about writing a new book… perhaps it will be about jingles. What do you think? I guess I should stick with my day job and leave jingle writing to someone else.

References

1.     Macy, M. (2005). The developmental systems approach to early intervention. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 25(2), 119-121. https://doi.org/10.1177/02711214050250020201

2.     Macy, M. (2007). Theory and theory-driven practices of activity-based intervention. Journal of Early Intensive Behavior Intervention, 4(3), 561-585. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100392

3.     Macy, M. (2010). Interactive online assessment options: A review of the AEPSi. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 2(3), 254-257. https://doi.org/10.20489/intjecse.107973

4.     Macy, M. (2022). Early identification of risk, developmental delay, or disability in young children: Connecting families with services during a global health crisis. In Pattnaik, J. & Jalongo, M. (Eds.), Educating the Young Child special series issue, The Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education and Care: International Perspectives, Challenges, and Responses. (pp. 237-252).  Springer Nature Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96977-6.

5.     Macy, M. (2023). Authenticity of assessment in inclusive spaces. Head Start Dialog: The Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field, 26(2), 100-106. https://doi.org/10.55370/hsdialog.v26i2.1632.

6.     Macy, M. (2024). Equitable practices in early learning environments: Designing dreams with individualized education plans. Literacy Today of the International Literacy Association, 41(3), 54-55. https://publuu.com/flip-book/24429/811271/page/56

7.     Macy, M., & Bagnato, S. (2010). Keeping it “R-E-A-L” with authentic assessment. National Head Start Association Dialog, 13(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15240750903458105

8.     Macy, M., Bagnato, S., & Weiszhaupt, K. (2019). Family-friendly communication via authentic assessment for early childhood intervention programs. ZERO to THREE, 40(2), 45-51. https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/journal/family-friendly-communication-via-authentic-assessment-for-early-childhood-intervention-programs/

9.     Macy, M., Spinetti Rincón, M. P., & Hogan, M. (2020). What are undergraduate students’ perceptions of a peer coaching model intended to foster effective electronic communication strategies with parents? Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 42(1), 110-120. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2020.1852345 

10. Pretti-Frontczak, K., Barr, D., Macy, M., & Carter, A. (2003). Research and resources related to activity-based intervention, embedded learning opportunities, and routines-based instruction: Annotated bibliography. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education,23(1),29-39. https://doi.org/10.1177/027112140302300104


Caring for Others

I wrote a blog about belonging in May. Feeling like we belong and are included can help us feel connected with the people in our lives. Quickest way I know to help someone feel like they belong is to show you care about them. Caring can be expressed with a gesture like a smile, words, and/or actions.

“To plant a garden is to dream of tomorrow.” ~Audrey Hepburn

When we were on our holiday travels with my parents, they turned their cell phones off on the ship during our polka cruise. Nobody could reach them for a week when we were on the Atlantic ocean. Their neighbor in Seattle and I are friends. She reached out to me out of concern for them. She forgot they were on a cruise. She had visited their house multiple times and called them with no replies. Very unusual behavior from my parents that had her worried. Her kindness in connecting with me to check on them showed how she cares for them. I love her for doing that for my parents and our family.

Caring is an important element in the early childhood profession. We need to care and be cared for by others.

Good for the soul is spending time with those who make us feel loved.

La Dolce Vita

Flowers have always made me smile. Fresh flowers bring the sweet life, or la dolce vita, to my spirit. Marlene hired me to work in her flower gardens. Along with the other gardeners, I worked landscaping. My job was to deadhead the spent blossoms on the Rhododendron trees. If you’ve ever removed Rhododendron blossoms from branches, you probably got all sticky from the sap. I loved working among the flower gardens, but gardening was not my calling. I was dreaming of becoming a teacher for as long as I can remember.

Teacher! Proud to become a teacher. In addition to teaching, I’ve worked food service in our family Italian restaurant, as a flagger on construction sites, and I was a bank teller for 3 years to pay for college.

Exactly 20 years ago, I graduated with a Ph.D. in special education at the University of Oregon. Since graduation from the doctoral program I’ve had the following jobs in university settings: part time teaching, soft money temporary research grants, lecturer, supervisor, research associate, visiting assistant professor for one year, tenure track (untenured), and tenured positions. Not yet at the rank of full professor.

Becoming a full professor has been a longtime dream of mine. I’m starting a new position as a full professor with tenure at the University of Wyoming as the John P. Ellbogen Professor of Early Childhood Education. Dreams come true.

Mentors have helped me throughout my life starting with my parents and family. She had parents and siblings who also played a role in her becoming who she is. On episode 61 of the BUTTERCUP podcast (click here for access to video podcast), New York Times bestselling author, Anne Hillerman, shared wonderful insights into mentorships. One of the things she shared was how a mentor changed her life when she was an intern at a news service job for 90 days as a copy editor, and then later a reporter at the New Mexican newspaper. There are many mentors who have helped me navigate my professional life. Here are some of those magnificent people who have changed my life:

  • Washington ~ my principal Gary Benedetti, my mentor teacher Becky Hamm, and paraprofessional Jan Clark (White River School District)

  • Oregon ~ my professors Drs. Diane Bricker, Jane Squires, and Hill Walker (University of Oregon)

  • Pennsylvania ~ Drs. Stefano Bagnato (University of Pittsburgh) and Frank Rusch (Penn State University)

  • New Mexico ~ Cheryl Fallstead (New Mexico Press Women)

  • Florida ~ Dr. Judy Levin (University of Central Florida)

  • Nebraska ~ Drs. Dena Harshbarger (University of Nebraska Kearney), Kate Gallagher, Sam Meisels, and Walter Gilliam (Buffett Early Childhood Institute)

Mentorships matter. I am so grateful to these mentors who I admire and look up to, as well as others who have been part of my journey. Thank you to everyone who has helped me discover la dolce vita.

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” ~ Steven Spielberg

Doctorate in Special Education 2004 with emphasis in Early Childhood Special Education (preschoolers) and Early Intervention (infants & toddlers)

University of Oregon summer commencement August 2004.

“The Night Before…A New Job”

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,” starts a classic poem.

“A Visit from St. Nicholas,” written by Clement Clarke Moore, is narrated by a parent who experiences wonder when something special happens in anticipation of an event. The night before a big adventure evokes all kinds of emotions. The night before a new school year, for example, can cause children (and parents too) to feel nervous and have jitters. This is the time of year when there are a lot of people starting new adventures.

I am thrilled about a new adventure in my life. I’m starting a new job.

Soon, I’ll be going to bed the night before my new job starts. I’m excited, but also have some jitters. Have you ever had jitters before starting a new job? What was it like? Did you go to bed worried about what to expect?

The author, Natasha Wing, has taken this first line of “The night before” poem and she has created a series of books for children. Natasha was a guest on our podcast (back in 2017 before we started doing video) where she shared information about writing for children. Click on the bold here for a link to her audio podcast.

I used her books with my little one before she started preschool, kindergarten, first, and second grades. They were a great way to have a conversation about the transitions. Children and families can talk through big feelings, and use books as a way to have conversations about topics.

In addition to being a guest on the BUTTERCUP podcast, Natasha also wrote a guest blog for BUTTERCUP entitled, “Don’t Sweat the Holidays.” In the blog, she talked about how the holidays can cause people stress. “I’ve gotta make special cards. I gotta write a newsletter. I gotta decorate like Martha Stewart. And…. All these gottas creates a lot of pressure on people,” said Natasha when we talked about where she came up with the idea for the blog. She reminds us to do the best we can. She reassures the reader. A reminder that things will be okay when we are “enjoying the time” we have with the people in our lives.

Thank you for your uplifting words, Natasha. The night before I start my new job will be a joyous occasion and I can’t wait. I am thrilled to meet my new students. I am thrilled to meet my new colleagues. I am thrilled for all the new adventures that await. I’ll take Natasha’s good advice and not sweat the “gottas” and just focus on enjoying the journey.

If you are starting a new adventure, good luck to you. I’m cheering for you ~ “Happy New Adventure to all, and to all a good night!”

Check out Natasha Wing’s website for more information: http://natashawing.com/.

Photo credit: Erika Pritchard

Ecological Hospitality

Belonging is an essential human need. Early childhood settings need to demonstrate for children and their families that they are cared for and belong. Ecological hospitality is what I’m calling it. Hospitable interactions make a big difference for little ones (and big ones too). The physical space can show that everyone is important and valued. Positive and supportive attitudes, routines, rituals, practices, curriculum, and assessments are thoughtfully considered and created for ecological hospitality to exist.

We met on zoom one more time when we returned from our Reggio Emilia delegation. All of us shared one thing that was a highlight or favorite part of the trip to Italy. It was interesting for me to hear what people shared as their favorite parts. Many of us shared experiences that were relationship-based.

For me, it was my time with friends. I shared one of the highlights of waking up and going to dining room for breakfast every morning in Reggio Emilia. I get up crazy early and write every morning no matter where I am. I brought my writing with me to breakfast, and would drink delicious Italian coffee and start writing. I was usually the first one in the dining room and delighted when my friends arrived for breakfast.

The hotel staff treated me like family. By the end of the two weeks, I was starting to feel like Norm from the television show “Cheers” with the hotel staff and other guests. One lady from the front desk invited me to Sunday mass at the Reggio Emilia cathedral where she got married.

Another hotel employee reached into her own purse under the registration desk and handed me her own personal toiletries she brings to work. She showed care for me when I ran out of toothpaste. The hotel employee working the night shift apologized that the hotel didn’t have any toothpaste for guests who ran out so she reached into her Prada handbag and pulled out a brand new and unused tube of lavender Italian toothpaste. I was so grateful for her kindness. Now every time I go to Italy I bring home Italian lavender toothpaste with me.

 I’m writing this month’s blog during the winter holidays when I am on a polka cruise with my family. Surrounding myself with people who make me feel loved. My parents, husband, daughter, and two cousins are all here with me, as well as friends from Arizona. We dance polka everyday during our time on the ship. When we came back to our cabin from the polka party last night, there was a kind note from our ship steward. It may not have seemed like a big deal, but this little gesture meant a lot to me. Little things can be big things that help people feel like they matter.

Me hanging out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and getting a little writing done before I dance polka with my Dad and family. 

Caring people are what made me feel as though I belonged in both places—Reggio Emilia, Italy and polka cruise. When we create spaces for children and their families, safe and welcoming atmosphere should be present. Make room for the social environment to support the people in it. Use words and actions to create a welcoming place. Ecological hospitality is being good to people because it is the right thing to do. Children and their families are depending on it.

You matter. You are important. You belong here. You are welcome here (or as we say in Italian benvenuti).

 “The older I get, the more convinced I am that the space between people who are trying their best to understand each other is hallowed ground.” ~Fred Rogers

Together We Bloom

Warning. You might feel like you are in a Monet painting when you visit. Reggio Emilia is bursting at the seams with poppies everywhere in springtime.

 If you wonder what Reggio Emilia is like, experience it. Spoiler alert. It’s pretty magical. Seize the day and come to Italy with us where every route is the scenic route. Our group of ten Americans took several routes to learning and professional development while we were in this northern region of Italy called Emilia-Romagna.

 After World War II, people in the Italian town were disgusted by what the war did to their community. They wanted to rebuild. They turned to early childhood education in hope for their future. The Reggio Emilia approach was founded by Loris Malaguzzi and parents from Emilia-Romagna. The “100 Languages” poem (at end) was written by Malaguzzi and conveys some of the philosophy.

Reggio Emilia, Italia.

 An Italian company located in the heart of Reggio Emilia, created a 2-week itinerary for us to experience early childhood education in Italy. Reggio Lingua provided us with a translator during school visits. Being in a place where the primary language spoken everywhere is Italian, gave us English-speaking Americans a feeling of what it might be like for our children and families in U.S.A. whose home language is different from English.

 The people of Reggio Emilia measure the hours in a day by the church bells ringing in their village and rewarding social connections. We met many early childhood professionals from Italy, and around the world, who shared their love for teaching and learning. We explored Reggio Emilia programs for babies, preschoolers, and early elementary school children.

 Teachers gave us a warm “benvenuti” when they welcomed us in their schools, and they shared with us like we were their long-lost cousins with endless things to talk about. Early childhood professionals in Reggio Emilia took care in discussing what it’s like to teach in Italy, as well as special routines and rituals. One of my favorites was spending mealtime with them.

 We got to experience meals with Reggio Emilia educators and children. Mealtimes are a revered ritual in Italian culture. All day long, but especially during meals, their class family gathered where stories were the focal point (oh and delicious food too). They showed how food can bring people together.

 Benvenuti was how the children welcomed us too. The bambini, little ones, talked with us about their interests during mealtime conversations around the table. Children showed us the things they were proud of in their classrooms.

Here are ideas I took away from early childhood professionals and children in Reggio Emilia, Italy:

1.      Play is a universal language. Children speak the language of play fluently.

2.      Attuned caregiving starts with listening. If you listen carefully to what their behavior is saying, children communicate their wants and needs.

3.      Observation during children’s familiar routines and activities can be the basis for accurate assessment.

4.      Inclusion means we are creating a sense of belonging for everyone together.

5.      All members of the community are responsible for creating a healthy and happy environment where everybody can grow.

6.      Professional well-being and care strengthens the overall community.

7.      Kindness is spoken in hearts of early childhood professionals when families are respected in little and big ways.

Sometimes it’s necessary to explore afar in order to journey within. Our American delegation went to Italy together, and we collaborated with one another before, during, and after our time in Italy. In addition to expanding ideas about teaching, the trip to Italy with other professionals gave us time to reinforce the bonds we have with one another. I feel like our community of practice at home got stronger from going on location in Italy together. This shared experience was both personally and professionally rewarding for me. I now have nine American friends that I can say, “remember when we were in Italy and we (fill in the blank).” For example, “Remember when we were in Italy and we ate Erbazzone Reggiano out of a paper bag while watching Reggiani ride their bikes that were decorated in flowers like a parade float in front of the Reggio Emilia Opera House?”

 Speaking of music. One of my favorite songs to sing with children (and anyone who will sing along) is, “The More We Get Together.” The lyrics of the song highlight the importance of togetherness. Together we learn. Together we teach. Together we make a difference for children and families. All together. Together we bloom into the best version of ourselves. “The more we get together, the happier we will be.”

“The Beauty of the World Lies in the Diversity of Its People” (bulletin board at Northlake Park Elementary in Orlando, Florida)

Note: I wrote this for the Buffett Early Childhood Institute blog. Click on this link if you want to read it on the Buffett Institute website. Thank you Erin Duffy and Buffett team for inviting me to share this experience with your readers.

Reggio Emilia countryside.

 

Me stepping into a Monet painting in Reggio Emilia in the spring.

Bookshelf

Do you ever find yourself staring at people’s bookshelves when you have a zoom meeting? Do you snoop to see what people are reading while stuck in the airport, or on a plane/bus? I confess to all of the above.

I get distracted by other people’s books, and I love to learn about what people are reading. Helps me to consider my next book. Bookshelves are spectacular works of art and architecture to me.

I will probably want to read what you are reading. Here are some questions I’m thinking about asking the next time we get together and talk books.

·      What book would you read over and over again?

·      What book could you read in one sitting, it was that good?

·      What book made you pee your pants from laughing out loud, or made you throw up a little bit in your mouth?

·      Which book have you reread the most?

·      Which book is the one you’d like signed by the author?

·      What book kept you up way too late?

·      What did you read that made you weep uncontrollably?

·      What book is the one that holds the recipe to a good life?

If you’re interested in more book talking, then head over to the BUTTERCUP podcast and listen to what Zibby Owens of “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books” has to say on episode 37 (click bold link) which was our first time adding video to the audio podcast.

Sharing love of books with preschoolers at our lab school. Photo taken by Erika Pritchard.

Crafternoon: Bath Bombs

Looking for something to do with children during spring break. Try a craft and whip up some bath bombs during crafternoon. Bath bombs are easier to make than you would think.

 With four ingredients, you and your child(ren) can make bath bombs. Take the ingredients below and mix them in a bowl. Then get a mold and shape the ingredients into a ball. That is it.

 Supervise children at all times. Wear gloves. Follow safety considerations for children. This activity may need to be adjusted depending on the child’s age and/or ability.

 Next time your children are bored, make some special bath bombs and memories.

 Ingredients:

¼ Cup             Cornstarch  

2 ¼ Cups       Baking Soda

¾ Cup            Coconut, Canola, Sweet Almond, or Other

1 ¼ Cups       Granular Citric Acid (look for this in the canning section of grocery store)

1 Teaspoon  Essential oil or fragrance (optional)

½ Teaspoon Liquid Color (optional)

 

Things You Can Learn From Eating Lunch in the Teacher’s Lounge

I was a substitute teacher for a year and a half after college. It is one of the best experiences I could have ever imagined for preparing me for a career in education. One thing I learned during that time was how important other teachers would be in my life. We learn from each other.

 One of the best places to learn about a school’s culture is in the teacher lunch room. It was tempting to sit at the desk in the classroom and eat lunch by myself while grading papers or looking over afternoon lesson plans. However, I decided early on that I needed to eat lunch with other teachers to learn all I could from them. I didn’t know at the time that it was helping to acculturate me to the profession.

 They shared things like how to remove gum from classroom furniture. They told me the best place to get banners for bulletin boards. They explained ways to identify lice in the environment, my hair, and children’s hair.

 The things I have learned from my fellow educators is a treasure trove of information that are best found in the daily interactions that make up our working lives.

 Thank you, teacher friends. I think the world of you.

Photo credit: Erika Pritchard.

Let's go to school in the museum!

Professor Alessandra Landini from University of Modena-Reggio Emilia helps us discover meaningful connections when a public space like a museum collaborates with their neighborhood school. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Landini and her school community relocated to the town public Museum’s Palace, in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Musei Civici became their school during the pandemic.

Her community partnership sustained the education program. Everything like food and resources followed her and children. The pandemic is over, but partnership between museum and school remains. In the tradition of the atelier, artistic and cultural expression in childhood is enhanced when professionals have resources. Entities outside of Reggio Emilia schools support early childhood education in this region of Italy. Many community-based programs exist in Emilia-Romagna that have meaningful contributions for professionals working with young children.

It is nearly impossible to separate education from the community context in Reggio Emilia when wondering if you can bottle up this magic. When you come to Reggio Emilia it is possible to wonder how you can take some of this magic home with you. If you want to hear more about this community-based partnership between the Reggio Emilia school and the municipal museum, head over to the BUTTERCUP podcast (click on bold) and listen to Dr. Landini tell the amazing story.

Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Follow me to the Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Circle time and then small group activities were done here the day we visited the Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Light tables and ateliers. Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Studies in sealife. Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

One child chose to draw this giraffe and then write about it in their journal. Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Preschooler drew this giraffe in notebook. Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia, Italia.


Source: Landini, A. & Macy, M. (September, 2023). Case Study of Social Inclusion and Community-based Partnership in Reggio Emilia, Italia. Sixteenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum, “Museum Transformations: Pathways to Community Engagement,” Vancouver, Canada.

The Day I Went to Harvard

“Learn to Change the World,” were the words on flags that hung from lamp posts on tree lined streets in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These inspirational words struck a nerve for me the day I went to Harvard. Economic prosperity for a community hinges on early childhood care for families. The reason I went to Harvard is to learn more about how children, families, and neighborhoods can prosper in rural areas.

Taking a selfie with my Harvard CEEL profs. Finally got to meet these incredible people in person after taking their classes for 2 years online trough Harvard Graduate School of Education. Left to right: me, Dr. Danila Crespin Zidovsky, and Dr. Emily Wiklund Hayhurst from Harvard and Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative.

I learned about ‘Strengthening State and City Early Education Systems and Policy for Today & Tomorrow’ from emails I received from Zaentz Early Education Initiative at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

During the COVID-19 pandemic I was part of a certificate program called, Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL). It took me about 2 years and 15 classes to earn the CEEL. I learned tons of cool things in this program about policy work, and how to advocate and serve children and their families.

CEEL prof: Dr. Nonie Lesaux

I developed a proposal to create a cross sector team who could explore workforce development that could benefit children and families in rural areas. Education, business, and health coming together to address the needs of our children in rural neighborhoods. The title: Recruitment & Retention of Professionals for Rural Communities in Education, Business, and Health Sectors Serving Young Children and their Families.

The proposal I wrote was accepted and our team attended the ‘Strengthening State and City Early Education Systems and Policy for Today & Tomorrow’ hosted by Zaentz Early Education Initiative at Harvard Graduate School of Education. They accepted 12 proposals. Mine was one of them. Thank you, Zaentz Foundation and team!

My team consisted of: Carime Ruvalcaba (early childhood educator, Cadre member of Buffett Early Childhood Institute, and business owner of Karime Childcare LLC serving children and families whose home language is Spanish), Cathy Lang (executive director of the Nebraska Business Development Center), Dawn Mollenkopf (professor who studies personnel preparation at University of Nebraska Kearney), Nikki Carritt (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Workforce Education Relations & Director of Rural Health Initiatives at University of Nebraska Medical Center; Assistant Director of Community Outreach & Engagement of Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center; Nikki leads rural health initiative for University of Nebraska) and I.

“Learn to Change the World”

 Our team had homework assignments and two meetings before we went to Boston. Harvard executive ed programs use case method instruction. We read an in-depth case study about New York’s PreK for All program.

L. to R.: Cathy Lang, Nikki Carritt, me, and Carime Ruvalcaba

My team is trying to develop ways that could help us recruit and retain professionals who can serve children who are multi-language learners and their families in education, rural healthcare, and business to serve our rural communities in Nebraska. Our goal is to expand access and enhance the capacity of higher education to develop a strategic plan for collaboration and forming a rural hub network in Nebraska.

Gutman Library at Harvard is where we worked together with other teams. L. to R.: Cathy Lang, Nikki Carritt, me, and Carime Ruvalcaba

Our schedule for the day.

Our interdisciplinary team is focusing on two areas: (a) discussing policy implications for recruitment and retention of workforce to support regional rural hub model, and (b) creating an action plan to build coordination and expand access to resources for child care, health care, business, and early learning programs in rural areas.

Nikki Carritt (University of Nebraska Medical Center), Charlotte Petty (Harvard Graduate School of Education), and Robin Kane (Harvard Graduate School of Education).

Spectacular teams from Iowa, Colorado, California, Texas, Connecticut, Tennessee, Georgia, Vermont, and Pennsylvania. And of course our team from Nebraska. We did the lightening round with the team from Iowa. So interesting to hear about what the other teams are working on to help children and families.

I love to see Carime Ruvalcaba shine.

Carime and me walking in the snow in Cambridge.

Be ready! You never know who you’ll run into. Nikki and I running into the magnificent Dr.Jack Shonkoff (Harvard professor of pediatrics) at our hotel, The Commander, in Cambridge. He was there for a meeting the day we checked in.

“Our work today is like an intricately woven quilt,” ~Dr. Danila Crespin Zidovsky, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The day I went to Harvard to explore early childhood education will go in my “smile file” forever. It was wonderful being there with an amazing team to learn from passionate people about how to better serve children and their families. Epic conversations can propel ideas and potential solutions for our rural communities struggling with workforce shortages. Conversations to be continued.

What does Hollywood have to do with Early Childhood Educators and Harvard?
Tune in to episode of BUTTERCUP podcast (click bold link) to hear interview with Harvard profs who provide professional development and resources to educators thanks to a gift from a Hollywood film producer who was a philanthropist, record producer, and won Academy Award 3x. Dr. Danila Crespin Zidovsky and Ms. Emily Wiklund Hayhurst share the Zaentz Early Childhood Initiative and resources for professionals.

Macy, M., Carritt, N., Lang, C., Ruvalcaba, C., & Mollenkop, D. (December, 2023). Recruitment & Retention of Professionals for Rural Communities in Education, Business, and Health Sectors Serving Young Children and their Families. “Strengthening State and City Early Education Systems and Policy for Today and Tomorrow” of Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts.




Reggio Emilia Preschool

Preschools in Reggio Emilia are places for children and their families where everyone belongs and inclusion is a priority. In Montecavolo, at the foothills of the Appenines (baby Alps), we got to spend time with educator Greta and atelierista Pier. They shared so many beautiful things with us about their school.

In every nook and cranny there were roses swimming in water in colorful glass vases. Pier told me that the Nonne (Grandmothers) of the children knew we were coming, and so they cut fresh flowers from their gardens to decorate the school so it would look nice for American visitors.

Nonne (grandmothers) decorated the school with roses from their gardens to welcome visitors from America in Reggio Emilia.

My visit of the Reggio Emilia preschool. I love this place.

Children’s artwork in the Reggio Emilia school. It is amazing what children create.

Italy celebrates Mother’s Day too. Educators, pedagogistas, and atelieristas welcomed us with open arms the day we visited right before Italian Mother’s Day. Children showed us the beautiful gifts they were making. They grew rosemary that is used in a recipe for bath salts that will go into artistic glass jars each child made for their Mama with a handmade salt dough heart ornament on the lid. It smells and sounds heavenly in this classroom as children celebrate their families.

The children grew this rosemary at school in their garden that they are using in the bath salt jars they are making in Reggio Emilia.

Handmade salt dough ornaments the children made for their mothers in Reggio Emilia.

Children are prepared for outdoor play with these rainboots organized nicely outside their classroom door in Reggio Emilia.

Lounge area for children to read books in Reggio Emilia.

Child-sized sinks make it easy to clean up after creating neat things in the atelier in Reggio Emilia.

Inclusion of children with disabilities is a priority in Reggio Emilia schools.

This school’s name is Butterfly Tree in Reggio Emilia. Materials from the REmida recycling center were used to create butterflies.

Preschool classroom in Reggio Emilia.

Outdoor classroom in Reggio Emilia.

Outdoor classroom in Reggio Emilia.

Outdoor classroom in Reggio Emilia.

Outdoor classroom in Reggio Emilia. Some materials from the REmida recycling center.

Outdoor classroom in Reggio Emilia.

The Nido (nest)

Pitter patter of little feet greeted us when we entered the glass doors to the Nido. The word “Nido” refers to bird nest in Italian. Nido is the infant/toddler program for children 3 months to 3 years and their families in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

It was a short train ride to a Nido in Guastalla from our home base in Reggio Emilia. Guastalla is also in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy in a rural area of about 15,000 people. Guastalla is a charming rural village where strangers greeted us as we walked about 15 minutes from the train to the school. We saw more people riding bicycles than cars.

We were in Guastalla to visit a Reggio school called Iride which stands for Iris (from eye). Tanya, the pedagogista at Iride shared with us how her children chose the name of the school.

The original school was destroyed in 2015 by an earthquake. When they rebuilt Iride, the team chose poplar trees grown on the land as their inspiration for the shapes seen throughout the building. All the wood in the natural environment came from Italy.

Atelier for light, another atelier for colors, and a third atelier devoted to nature are in the Iride Nido. Fine arts are an important component in the curriculum…even for babies in Reggio Emilia.

Feeling so grateful for this experience Reggio Lingua created for us while snacking on erbazzone (delicacy from Reggio with Spinach) on train ride back to town, and so happy for the poppies (papaveri) blooming in springtime in Emilia-Romagna.

Here are some pictures of the Nido in Guastalla.

Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia. Check out my Reggio Lingua bag full of goodies for Nido staff in Guastalla. Bringing treats for teachers! It is my love language.

Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia

Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia. Infant classrooms are on the right. You can see through the window the high chairs around the half moon-shaped table. Toddler classrooms are on the opposite side of the building.

Benvenuti! Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia

Check out this exploration area for children in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Even the hallways are beautiful in the Iride Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Prepared for any kind of weather at the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Atelier for color in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia

Atelier for color in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia

Atelier for color in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia

Toddlers were creating this when I visited them. The three children were engaged in their painting and they barely looked up from their art. In the flow and they were smiling and talking with each other and their atelierista.

Toddler classrooms in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Skylights throughout the school bring natural light in.

Toddler classrooms in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Toddler classrooms in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Toddler classrooms in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Toddler classrooms in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Control of light and dark in the Toddler nap room in the Iride Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Child size sinks and toilets in bathroom in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Toddler classrooms in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Atelier in the Nido in Emilia-Romagna, Italia.

Yay, a laundry room on location! Look how excited I am for the laundry room!

If you thought the laundry room is awesome…wait until you see the cucina! Magic happens here everyday when people lovingly prepare meals for the children and educators.

Breakfast and lunch are made from scratch with fresh local ingredients. When I was there, children had delicious vegetable lasagna and two fresh, cooked veggie side dishes for lunch (pranzo). Children eat on real ceramic Italian plates with flatware on linen tablecloths just like in their homes.

Kindest and most generous people caring for children. She wanted me to have some of the dolce she made the babies. Mangia bene!

Flanerie

French poet, Boudelaire, described flanerie as a state of being where one goes around and discovers. To wander with no purpose may seem like a waste of time, but hold the phone! Wait just a minute! Just think of what could be missed with being in a hurry. Slowing down. Flanerie! Sign me up for the flanerie tour in Emilia-Romagna in two cities: Reggio Emilia and Bologna.

Reggio Emilia

Professor Alessandra Landini from University of Modena-Reggio Emilia shared meaningful connections she has made in her Italian community of Reggio Emilia on a recent episode of the BUTTERCUP podcast (link to podcast episode #56). Dr. Alessandra Landini shared the exciting things she is doing as an educator and leader of a school in Reggio Emilia. She and her team are doing incredible things for children and their families. As I spent time in her beautiful school, I learned what she meant about taking time to discover and explore.

Dr. Alessandra Landini’s school in the heart of Reggio Emilia, Italy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Landini and her school community relocated to the town museum (Landini & Macy, 2023). She brought me and others from our American delegation to see the Musei Civici in Reggio Emilia. Her community partnerships sustained the education program during the pandemic. Everything like food, transportation for children, and resources followed her and the children. The pandemic is over, but the day we visited the museum with her, Dr. Landini’s schoolchildren and teachers were doing a week-long deep dive study at the museum.

Dr. Alessandra Landini, me, and our American delegation walking from the Reggio Emilia civic museum to her school across town.

I have a question. “Teacher! Teacher! Pick me!” I’m in the classroom at Dr. Landini’s school.

Atelier at the Reggio Emilia Civic Museum.

Bologna

In addition to Dr. Landini’s school, our delegation spent time learning about Montessori in Bologna. With crenelated towers rising from alleyways, I was thrilled to spend time in the majestic Bologna about an hour train ride from Reggio Emilia. The University of Bologna is the oldest university in the western world and has exquisite architecture and the buildings spread out all over the city (no main campus). Here is how the University of Bologna history compares to other universities:

 Year founded:

1088 University of Bologna

1096 Oxford

1636 Harvard

1861 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

1887 University of Wyoming

University of Bologna is the second largest university in Italy with approximately 90,000 students. When it was founded in 1088 it was a group of students who organized and advocated for the school. On the day our delegation was in town, it was graduation day for law school students. Law students found out if they passed the mark while family and friends waited outside the walls of school with confetti to congratulate the graduate. Each graduate came out wearing a laurel crown on their head with their thesis in hand. The student I saw graduate from law school passed and held his thesis for pictures with his family. The thesis had a title related to law and bankruptcy.

An Italian saying captures the reason I am experiencing flanerie in Bologna: “La vita e un lungo cammino, dove sei maestro e studente. Qualche volta insegni, ma ogni giorni impari.” (Life is a long journey where you are teacher and student. Sometimes you teach, but everyday you learn.) This student and all of us are learning everyday. The main reason for being in Bologna, other than the flanerie, was to spend time at the Bologna public municipal Montessori school for preschoolers. To learn about learning! To be a student of our early childhood profession. To see how Italian Montessori preschool compares to American Montessori preschool.

Teacher made materials at the Bologna Montessori preschool.

Susana, the academic coordinator for preschools, welcomed us and set us up for our visit. Our delegation was divided into groups of three people where we visited each Montessori classroom.

A picture of Maria Montessori in every classroom graces the walls beside a picture of the baby Jesus and his mother Mary. Religious imagery is one difference between USA and Italian Montessori preschools. Another was how Montessori school in Bologna is free to parents with a small fee for food. In America, Montessori schools are usually private, where tuition and other fees are costs absorbed by the parents of young children.

Mealtime routines was another way this preschool is different in Italy. The Italian culture and rich food heritage were celebrated by children and teachers during lunch. Parmesan cheese, tortellini, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar, fettuccine, and lasagna come from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Food pride can be found throughout the regions of Italia. Buona forchetta (good fork) is what Italians call a foodie. Not that children are foodies, but the cultural norm of showing love through food was evident in how teachers facilitated learning as children used math and other skills to participate in the daily routine of lovingly setting their table for pranzo (lunch).

There were more similarities than differences that I took away from my day at the Bologna Montessori preschool. We have similar materials. Much of the teaching tools we have in common. Another similarity is how inclusion of children with diverse abilities is fostered. There were some children with disabilities who were fully included in the classroom. Finally, teachers collaborate with their team to serve children.

Montessori math materials and curriculum in Bologna.

In Italian, the word brillare means to sparkle. Maria Montessori sparkles in different and similar ways in Italy as she does in America. Good things occur when given the opportunity to practice the art of flanerie in an ancient city with so much history, cultural relevancy where food is concerned, and enlightenment.

On this day in Bologna, I am slowing down to listen to children like Stella who was sharing her excitement that today is her birthday. Slowing down to hear teacher Laura share her story about how she went to university and studied archaeology and then became a Montessorian because she fell in love with the teaching method. Slowing down to feel the heartbeat of this magnifico place with endless brillare past, present, and bright future in their children.

Pathways for community engagement are formed in Reggio Emilia, Bologna, and whereever we are when we slow down for flanerie and create meaningful connections.

Source:

Landini, A. & Macy, M. (September, 2023). Case Study of Social Inclusion and Community-based Partnership in Reggio Emilia, Italia. Sixteenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum, “Museum Transformations: Pathways to Community Engagement,” Vancouver, Canada.

Loris Malaguzzi Center in Reggio Emilia

The Malaguzzi Center is a charming and one-of-a-kind physical space that represents a beautiful tribute honoring children, families, professionals, and neighborhoods. The Loris Malaguzzi Center in Reggio Emilia, Italy is a place devoted to learning and discussing the ideas surrounding the early childhood education approach. People who go to Reggio Emilia for early childhood education delegations often spend at least one day at the Center. There are many things to do. For example, workshops on the Reggio Emilia model are offered by th Loris Malaguzzi Center.

The Reggio Emilia approach is named after the town of about 150,000 Italians living in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. It is a child-centered and community-oriented model that uses fine arts as the foundation. The atelier is central to a Reggio Emilia classroom environment.

After World War II, the people of Reggio Emilia were outraged by what the war did to their community. They wanted to create beauty and hope for their future. They wanted good things for their children.

Loris Malaguzzi and parents created the Reggio Emilia approach. He was moved by the families and their hopes and dreams for their children. The picture below shows Loris Malaguzzi in the atelier, and his poem is included below showing his philosophies on child development and learning. “What is the fatal charm of Italy? What do we find there that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human,” ~Erica Jong. This approach allows children and professionals permission to be human.

Loris Malaguzzi

NO WAY. THE HUNDRED IS THERE by Loris Malaguzzi (translated by Lella Gandini)

The child

is made of one hundred.

The child has

a hundred languages

a hundred hands

a hundred thoughts

a hundred ways of thinking

of playing, of speaking.

A hundred always a hundred

ways of listening

of marveling of loving

a hundred joys

for singing and understanding

a hundred worlds

to discover

a hundred worlds

to invent

a hundred worlds

to dream.

The child has

a hundred languages

(and a hundred hundred hundred more)

but they steal ninety-nine.

The school and the culture

separate the head from the body.

They tell the child:

to think without hands

to do without head

to listen and not to speak

to understand without joy

to love and to marvel

only at Easter and Christmas.

They tell the child:

to discover the world already there

and of the hundred

they steal ninety-nine.

They tell the child:

that work and play

reality and fantasy

science and imagination

sky and earth

reason and dream

are things

that do not belong together.

And thus they tell the child

that the hundred is not there.

The child says:

No way. The hundred is there.

REmida

When you think of a recycling center in America, what image comes to mind? Recycling centers where I live remind me of smelly and disgusting places located next to trash.

A recycling center and program in Reggio Emilia, Italy is called REmida. It is totally different than what I have experienced with recycling centers in America. REmida is a beautiful place full of opportunity.

Entities outside of Reggio Emilia schools support early childhood education in this region of Italy. Many community-based programs exist in Emilia-Romagna that have meaningful contributions for professionals working with young children. One of them is REmida. It is a center devoted to providing materials for early childhood educators. In the tradition of the atelier, artistic expression in childhood is enhanced when early childhood professionals have resources.

REmida is a place where businesses donate their surplus materials and resources for teachers. For example, fashion houses like nearby Max Mara donate textiles that would otherwise be thrown away. RE (means king in Italian and also it represents the initials of Reggio Emilia) + Mida is based on the idea of turning trash to treasure. King Midas had a special gift of turning things into gold - the “Midas touch.” Giving new life to things is the point of REmida for teachers. A membership to REmida costs Italian educators about 40 euros (which would be less than $50 USD for conversion rate in 2023 when I write this) for the year. Teachers have unlimited use with their annual membership meaning they can take anything they want from REmida. The day we visited there were several teachers who got off work at 4pm on Thursday and were shopping the REmida Center for their classes. They packed their shopping carts full of endless possibilities to use in their classrooms and services for children and their families.

Recycling centers might be unpleasant places connected with landfills in some communities. Not REmida. REmida is a beautiful environment in a nice area that is welcoming. The physical space invites creativity with the way materials are displayed throughout the large building in Reggio Emilia.

Not far from REmida is a big supermarket, residential neighborhood, and sports facility dedicated to the memory of basketball player Kobe Bryant who lived here in his youth when his father was a professional athlete and moved the family to Reggio Emilia. Bryant is gone but not forgotten in Reggio Emilia, and the town adores him as evidenced by monuments and streets named after him.

REmida is supported by Reggio Emilia Foundation, municipality, private investors, and infant/toddler centers. There are 12 of these in the world. “Stare insieme” means how to be together. Maybe communities can learn from this approach and come together with resources for educators.

REmida. I am in love with this red wall of fibers! I want to touch every stitch!

Me playing with some of the fun materials at the REmida.

My mentor, Dr. Judy Levin, at the REmida.

Taking materials and making origami cranes for the wall. My friends Alisha and June learning how to make cranes from Italian teacher for the REmida wall that is lit with pink lighting.

Table-scape at REmida with ideas for using recycled materials.

D is for Deutsch

She said hers is “scoppiare” (popcorn)! She rapidly responded when I asked her favorite word. It was as though she too has spent several hours thinking about fabulous words. My Italian friend is a linguist in Emilia-Romagna, Italia. She loves words too she told me. Munching on the goodness from farms in middle America and popcorn is one of our favorite snacks when my daughter and I watch movies. We love popcorn or scoppiare. Maybe Italians do too?! Who knew. Nebraskans do too. So much so that corn is a mascot for many schools and sports teams in my beautiful state of Nebraska where we have lived since 2021.

My Italian friend spent a year in Maine, but she has never been to Nebraska. I’m pretty sure she had no idea that I come from the land of popcorn in the Midwest. We played the favorite word game during train rides in Italy. Sounds like the kind of game I would initiate, but it was another friend from Florida who started us playing this game. When you travel for 2 weeks with several early childhood educators in Italy, you are likely to learn new games to play with friends. And play we did! I got to learn my friends’ faves and shared my favorite word (of the moment) as I stared out the train windows and thought about how the gorgeous Italian countryside reminds me of my home in Nebraska.

I see many similarities between Nebraska and the Emilia-Romagna (E-R) region of Italy. The eastern part of the E-R region, Emilia, is flat. Eastern E-R looks to me a lot like eastern Nebraska. The Nebraska poet Ted Kooser described eastern Nebraska as a flat table that has a wobbly leg. Not quite flat, but not quite hilly or mountainous either. Just a little tilted. The east is also where a bulk of the population of people live in E-R which is similar to Nebraska.

As you travel west to the Romagnan part of the E-R region it gets less populated and the countryside is painted with jagged hills. Western E-R is similar to western NE where places like Scottsbluff and Chimney Rock in the west have different landscapes compared to eastern NE. In Nebraska, we don’t have a sea at our border like the Adriatic. But wow do we have an amazeballs river. Oh the river! Po River runs through E-R and we have the Platte River in Nebraska.

Still thinking about our word game while I traveled home and spent 33 hours in shuttles, cars, and on planes. It was a gate agent from Lufthansa in Munich airport who gave me my new favorite word.

 He asked for my passport. I gave my passport to him in a little booklet I picked up in the Bologna airport that says, “Wanderlust.” The only reason I bought the booklet with the wanderlust word on it was because I wanted privacy with my identity and not flash the precious blue passport revealing to other passengers my country of origin. Safety!

“Sprechen sie Deutsch,” he asked loudly. When he questioned me, I experienced flashbacks to 9th grade when I took Frau Ruth Strange’s class to learn to speak German.

Umm. Does a year and a grade of “D” count as speaking Deutsch? I kept that pesky thought to myself. “No. English. I speak English,” I said.

A spunky smile accompanied his reply in English as he pointed to the word on the booklet that covers my passport. “Okay. I ask because wanderlust is German.” This is how he started telling me about the word. His enthusiasm for Deutsch got me excited for learning more about the language that I sadly gave up on when I was 14. German. How cool!

When it comes to words, I am like the bread Italians use to soak up sauce on the plate. There’s a phrase for it in Italian, fare la scarpetta (little shoe for bread). Licking the dish clean and leaving no sauce behind. I have a fondness and hunger to soak up words. Nothing pleases me more than to hear people talk and pay attention to the words they use. Love to read their writing too.

Malcom Gladwell wrote an essay about mustard and ketchup in David Remnick’s book, “Secret Ingredients.” In his essay, Gladwell described someone’s enthusiasm for a topic. I loved the words he used that went something like… the person is so charismatic they make you want to become a statistician after taking their required stats class. I know people like this. Do you? The Munich gate agent could be one of them.

Grinning gate agent is not a statistician (that I am aware of) but his contagious zest for Deutsch interested me. I developed a curiosity for “wanderlust.” What is wanderlust? Where does wanderlust come from? How is wanderlust used in sentences?

I’ll explore this more later when I have time, but for now while I write this on the treadmill at my gym and construct my own meaning I’m going to settle on this personal definition that I create for myself. My definition of wanderlust is…

 Wander + lust = being seduced by the possibilities of travel.

I think of wanderlust as a secret ingredient when going someplace and comparing new worlds to home. Can’t help but make comparisons. “Take me home, country roads,” sang John Denver. Wanderlust with winding roads can take us places and also lead us back home. In classrooms we sometimes say “popcorn” when we toss a question or idea to our friend. What is your favorite word? Popcorn! Yes, you! Scoppiare to you. Mine could change by the time I push the submit button. I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours. Over to you.

All roads lead home. Wanderlust brought me here. Being myselfie and getting lost on a winding country road in Reggio Emilia, Italia.

Gladwell, M. (2008). The ketchup conundrum. In D. Remnick, Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink (Ed.). Random House.

Is Reggio Emilia the Trip of a Lifetime?

People said to me… “how wonderful that you are about to go on the trip of a lifetime.” Hmm? Really? Of a “lifetime?” I was curious hearing these words. What the heck is a “trip of a lifetime” anyway? Have I ever had one? Have you? What is it like to have a travel experience that exceeds all others in one’s entire life? I wonder….

I have been to Italy many times. I am American with roots in Italy. My Dad's family is from northern Italy near Milan, and my mother grew up in southern Italy on a tobacco farm that is still in the family and has been for hundreds of years. I grew up speaking Italian at home. We have family all over Italy that I have traveled from America to visit. But this will be my first time to Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Would Reggio Emilia be my “trip of a lifetime (TOAL)?” Will it blow my socks off? Sure, it is bound to be special. I will be traveling to Reggio Emilia with a dozen of my friends who are early childhood colleagues from America experiencing an Italian early childhood approach to education for my first time. I am ready for professional fulfilment and learning more about children, families, and the teaching profession in another country. Having new ways of thinking about child development is another outcome I expect to experience from my trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy. Marcel Proust wrote, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” I’m all in and ready to see early childhood education with new eyes. Maybe this can be TOAL for me?! So how does one plan for TOAL?

Planning for the “Trip of a Lifetime” (TOAL)

“People don’t take trips, trips take people.”~John Steinbeck

Our American team had several meetings leading up to the Reggio Emilia delegation. A pre-travel survey that we created (Levin, Brasel, & Macy, 2023) was completed to get a baseline on where we were all at with understanding the Reggio Emilia approach to education. After the pre-travel survey, we read three things (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 2011; Rinaldi, 2006; Vecchi, 2010) prior to leaving for Reggio Emilia (full citations at the end of this blog post). Reading these articles gave our group a collective understanding of the history of the Reggio Emilia approach, as well as a framework to view the schools, the REmida Center, and the International Loris Malaguzzi Center.

When I zipped my suitcase and was ready to leave for the Omaha airport, I still wondered about TOAL.

TOAL? Really? One of my favorite travel writers and foodies is the late Anthony Bourdain. I reflected on TOAL and Bourdain’s words: “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” TOAL, here we come!

TOAL vs. OIAL

Maybe the part that has me questioning TOAL is that I associate the platitude with, “once in a lifetime” (OIAL). I plan to return to Reggio Emilia many more times. This trip I’m taking will not be “once” in my lifetime. My plan is that it will be an annual event in my life. My aim is to return every spring as though I am a sandhill crane spending springtime in central Nebraska again and again for my annual migration. Yes, this trip means more to me than OIAL.

This year I am traveling to Reggio Emilia to create pathways for future delegations to experience Reggio firsthand. This year our delegation consists of me and my friends from Florida who I worked and played with before moving to Nebraska in 2021. Dr. Judy Levin started the Reggio Emilia trip in 2012 when she first took students, or pre-service professionals in our teacher preparation program, from University of Central Florida to experience the study abroad in Italy. Then the brilliant Dr. Levin came up with a professional development approach to create the opportunity for the people who were supervising our students in fieldwork. The cooperating professionals. Let’s bring in-service professionals too. Brilliant! She added in-service professionals who were already in the early childhood workforce and no longer students. I’ve been wanting to go with her for many years, but I was hesitant because I didn’t want to leave my young child for two weeks.

TOAL? Maybe TOAL.

OIAL? Not a chance. This is not a once in a lifetime trip for me. More like it will be Once Every Year or OEY for me.

Update

“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” ~Mary Anne Radmacher

It happened! I had a TOAL in May 2023 when I traveled with my early childhood education team from America to Reggio Emilia, Italy. So many wonderful memories I am taking back to Nebraska with me. I’ll be reflecting on this first time in Reggio Emilia while unpacking so many lovely memories. “Take only memories, leave only footprints,” ~Chief Seattle.

These were the three readings we had on the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education before we went.

Time for a selfie with this incredible scholar on the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Dr. Carlina Rinaldi and me at the International Loris Malaguzzi Center.

#1- This book about the Reggio Emilia approach was written by Dr. Carolyn Edwards who was a professor from the University of Nebraska Lincoln with her co-authors Drs. Lella Gandini and George Forman. The new College of Education building at the University of Nebraska Lincoln is named after this Reggio Emilia scholar — Dr. Carolyn Pope Edwards.

Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (2011). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia experience in transformation (3rd ed.). Santa Barbara: Praeger.

#2- Dr. Carlina Rinaldi takes us on a journey and we are transported to Reggio Emilia, Italy and early childhood education. I got to meet her in person at the Loris Malaguzzi Center. What a thrill. She is lovely.

 

Rinaldi, C. (2006). Listening, researching, and learning. In G. Dahlberg and P. Moss (Eds.) The Space of Childhood: Contesting Early  Childhood Series. New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. 

#3- Dr. Vea Vecchi’s writing is part Italian memoir and part Reggio Emilia handbook about her exploration of creativeness in the early years.

 

Vecchi, V. (2010). Art and creativity in Reggio Emilia. Exploring the role of ateliers in early childhood education. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203854679