The Speckled Bees: A Celebration of Childhood – Details, episodes & analysis

Hey all! We are having a busy summer, but we don't want to stop putting out episodes for you! So, we are switching to a bi-weekly podcast and will have episodes coming out every other week. Make sure you are subscribed so you can see when new episodes come up. We love you!

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Have you heard of the "100 Days Project"? .  Developed as an arts exercise at Yale University, this exercise in creativity and perseverance individuals to incorporate a project into their routine.  If we push ourselves to move beyond monotony in boredom, and to establish routine with the hire end, we are working towards bettering ourselves

Join us as we discuss this fun family or individual project, and ideas of perseverance and routine with children- because establishing the ground works for hard work, is setting them up for powerful adult abilities later in life.


References

https://www.the100dayproject.org/

https://designobserver.com/feature/five-years-of-100-days/24678

https://ceecs.education.ufl.edu/atoz/3rs/#:~:text=Some%20children%20might%20need%20more,of%20everyday%20routines%20and%20activities.

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/family-home-consumer/10-tips-for-successful-family-meetings/

https://www.northshore.org/healthy-you/how-to-start-a-new-routine-and-stick-to-it/

https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/family-life/routines-rituals-relationships/family-routines

https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/family-life/routines-rituals-relationships/family-routines

https://www.ahaparenting.com/read/structure-routines

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We are so excited to share this episode! Lucy presents this topic at conferences, but we are publishing this for you all to listen to FOR FREE! Although, Lucy is not sharing her slides, ha!

We talk about the benefits of children being barefoot, especially outside. Barefoot walking helps with building body awareness, preventing injuries, promoting proper development of foot structure and gross motor skills, encouraging healthy emotional regulation and mindfulness, grounding/earthing, and having fun!

It also helps build those valuable risk assessment skills! We talk about how to implement all of this safely in your homes and classrooms and how to get others on board! Are you a barefoot believer??

References and Resources:

Affiliate Link for Xeroshoes
https://xeroshoes.com/go/Jonritter

Vivobarefoot
Merrell
Ten Little

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Is your family considering adding an animal member to its ranks? Do you love animals, but don't have any pets in your own home? This episode is an introduction to parents and families in all walks of life, who are considering the best ways to acclimate their children to animals in their lives.

Join us as we discuss the steps towards a happy integration of child and pet, considering ideas such as building safe spaces for either party, and encouraging respect above all else!

Have you recently added a pet to your family, or are you considering doing so? Have you had learning experiences introducing your child to other peoples animals? Leave your comments below or in our socials accounts!

References

• How to Introduce a New Pet to Kids - Paws en route
• 21 Fun Tips to Help Teach Kids to Respect Animals Today | Shield My Pet
• Pet exposure may reduce allergy and obesity: Research shows having a dog early in life may alter gut bacteria in immune-boosting ways -- ScienceDaily

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 Are you considering introducing a pet to your family ? Are you expecting a bundle-of-joy, and contemplating how to introduce the newest family member to your cat or dog? Does your child know how to approach an unfamiliar pet outside of the home?

If any of these questions apply to or intrigue you, we encourage you to delve into this weeks episode, discussing the ins and outs of pets  in a child's life. 

We open by discussing our personal history with pets and animals, and hope that you the readers can relate and share your own experiences. From there, we dive into the intricate and lengthy benefits behind pet ownership- whether its a furry,  scaley, or feathered friend! 

Due to the in depth nature of this weeks topic, we have broken the subject into two episodes! Stay tuned for next weeks follow up conversation 


References

• Having a dog can help your heart — literally - Harvard Health
• How to Introduce Your Pet to Your New Baby | Rescue Animals (iloverescueanimals.org)
• https://topdogtips.com/growing-dog-reduce-childs-risk-developing-asthma/
• https://www.livescience.com/8633-kids-dogs-active.html
• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170406143845.htm
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/14/want-to-raise-empathetic-kids-get-them-a-dog/
• https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/02/us/health-pet-owners-go-to-the-doctor-less.html
• http://www.center4research.org/benefits-pets-human-health/
• https://www.lifegate.com/people/lifestyle/pets-improve-child-development
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/04/11/a-new-study-shows-what-many-of-us-already-think-pet-dogs-are-good-for-kids/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780080422848
• https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/add-adhd/faqs-about-pets-for-kids-with-adhd
• https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2017/03/30/children-reveal-close-relationship-with-pets-than-siblings.aspx
• https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/blogs/kids-who-grow-up-with-dogs-and-cats-are-more-emotionally-intelligent-and'
• http://theweek.com/articles/481325/dogs-reduce-bullying-schools
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tech-support/201501/3-things-being-cat-person-or-dog-person-reveals-about-you
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animals-and-us/201707/why-kids-pets-are-better
• https://health.usnews.com/wellness/for-parents/articles/2017-03-17/could-a-pet-improve-your-teens-well-being
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4348044/
• https://topdogtips.com/why-kids-need-a-dog/
• https://topdogtips.com/adopting-dog-have-kids/

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In todays episode, we are discussing the creation of an art space- a studio space- for your little creators. 

“A Child has 100 languages” and an appropriate studio space in your home and classroom can help your children to explore each of these languages. 

Your classroom Atelier is the ultimate third teacher in the classroom, and should exist in a way that adds to your teaching and enhances your students learning experience.

Join us as we breakdown the creation of a studio space into three easy parts

• WHY you should build a studio space
• WHAT to include in your childs studio space
• HOW to create a stress free and productive space for you and child/children to grow and learn

Does your classroom or home environment contain a functional art studio space? We want to hear your answers! 

Leave a review, your comments, and concerns with one of our social media pages and JOIN the conversation

-https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C4lbqFMPM_xWZRQfvsy2LAx02xB0zUBo8n7Xr1GM2U0/edit#

-https://reggioemilia2015.weebly.com/the-100-languages.html

-https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/ateliers/

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/speckeledbees)

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Welcome back for Part II of our literacy deep dive! These half is the fun half where we take what we talked about last week and give real examples of how to encourage a love of literacy in our homes and classrooms. We also discuss whether it is call a cootie catcher or a fortune teller. What do you say?

What is something you want to try? Take a picture and tag us in it on facebook and instagram!

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Don't forget to leave us a review! Today, we are talking about maybe the most common and comfortable curriculum area: literacy centers. While this seems very straightforward, we wanted to break it down more so we can better focus our energies and not go into the ‘push-down curriculum' zone.

We had SO much to cover that we had to split this episode into two parts! In part one, we go over the NAEYC's position statement and then we tackle the continuum of reading and writing development. 

Spencer shouts out the Planet Word Museum in DC ( https://planetwordmuseum.org/ ) and we play a super nerdy but super cool game where we try to guess the definition of some of the top rarest words! Do you know them?

Buzzsprout Affiliate Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1783088

References:
https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SpecialEducation/Speech/Documents/The%20Speech%20and%20Language%20Development%20Continuum.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311/ref=pd_bxgy_img_1/131-0869157-7909015?pd_rd_w=InNfq&pf_rd_p=6b3eefea-7b16-43e9-bc45-2e332cbf99da&pf_rd_r=4NAZFYEWMJWS17ZPNHN3&pd_rd_r=0cb2ff6a-b1fc-44a6-ac33-d491d6728729&pd_rd_wg=nhrL6&pd_rd_i=1492674311&psc=1
https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/everyday-steps-reading-and-writing

http://literacy.nationaldb.org/index.php/literacy-development-continuum/

https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/PSREAD98.PDF

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2017/emergent-writing

https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/read-together-support-early-literacy

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/language-and-speech/meaning-preliteracy.html#:~:text=Motivation%20to%20read%20and%20 self,pleasures%20that%20reading%20can%20bring.

http://monocolibraries.org/files/6%20early%20literacy%20skills.pdf

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/early-literacy-policy-and-practice-preschool-years

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Is it the hot air from a rushing locomotive, or the vapor rising from a hot cup of coffee? No, todays we're talking about S.T.E.A.M- Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. How does adding art to STEM learning and education bolster a childs learning? By adding an artistic approach to standard science and math based subjects, you are integrating these subject matters with meaningful ideas and imagery that might resonate better not JUST with the students, but with the teachers as well. Join us as we discuss the merits of ease of adding art to STEM fields. 

Some easy and hands on STEAM activities you can try at home or in the classroom

• Chromatography Butterflies
  • https://buggyandbuddy.com/chromatography-butterflies-separating-colors-in-markers/
• Coral Reef Scultpures
  • https://www.thekeeperofthememories.com/stringing-coral-reefs-preschool-ocean-investigation-station/
• Ice Painting
  • https://www.thekeeperofthememories.com/ice-painting/
• Salt Crystal art
  • Materials:
  • 1 Cup of Epsom Salts
  • 1 Cup of water
  • 1 Tsp. of Liquid Watercolors
  • Glass Jar
  • Directions: Mix warm water with epsom salts and stir for one minute. Add the watercolors if desired. Put your concoction into the glass jar and put the jar in the back of the refrigerator. Let the jar sit over night and when it comes out in the morning you can study the crystal formation and the colors of light reflecting.
• Painting with Balls AND Gravity
  • https://earlylearningideas.com/art-for-preschoolers-painting-with-marbles-and-ball

Items to help you start STEAM

• The STRAWBEES Steam starter kit
  • https://strawbees.com/product/steam-starter-kit/
• Fort building kit
  • https://www.amazon.com/STEM-STEAM-Construction-Structures-Playhouse/dp/B09175HYBL/ref=sr_1_4?crid=31LR5OQZWNJ61&keywords=steam+toys&qid=1644704080&sprefix=steam+toys%2Caps%2C253&sr=8-4
• Magnet blocks
  • https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_search_thematic_aps_sr_pg1_2?ie=UTF8&adId=A07456063BJCY44OZRZHR&url=%2FMagna-Qubix-18019-19Piece-Set%2Fdp%2FB07FBJF3TH%2Fref%3Dsxin_13_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa%3Fcrid%3D31LR5OQZWNJ61%26

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