MissJan's blog

ADHD - a delay, not permanent

According to 2 new studies published in the Journal of Developmental Psychology and the National Institute of Mental Health and McGill University researchers conclude that children with behavioral and attention problems in kindergarten have immature brain development.

MissJan

One leg moving...ew

One of the main principles of Montessori education is teaching children the "ways of the world" using concrete examples such as real rabbits instead of cartoon characters, chains of unit beads to illustrate quantity, and solids such as cubes to hold and manipulate to introduce geometry.

And then of course, there is nature and bugs. We have a basket in the classroom with a magnifying glass and real looking (large) spiders, beetles, and a praying mantis. Sometimes you just have to improvise. And then -

MissJan

A sequel to Halloween

I must admit - the day after Halloween was not as bad as I anticipated. Actually with a bit of classroom management my teaching assistant and I were able to direct the collective hurricane of 10 children's energy into productive work. Cleaning, mopping, sweeping, making orange juice, cracking peanuts in the shell, eating hummus and Ezekiel bread, and lots of orchestrated (and choreographed) activity made for a tolerable day.

MissJan

Dreading school today

I substituted for one of my assistant teachers yesterday afternoon and hung out with the parents while the children played on the playground. Halloween was in the air already. One by one each parent chimed, "time to go and get ready for trick or treat." My stomach churned. My head and feet ached - body memories from "day after" Halloween pasts.

"The quality of mercy is never strained," I yelled out to the maddening crowd.

We'll see.

MissJan

Health alert for women & men

Carrageenan has been under intense scientific scrutiny for over 25 years in animal studies (harmful gastrointestinal effects):

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYP/is_10_109/ai_81760722/pg_9

-- and human studies (changing cellular structure of mammary tissue, affecting the developing fetus and implicated in testicular tumors);

http://www.notmilk.com/carageenan.html

And now, (how do I put this delicately?) they are manufacturing and marketing a personal lubricant as "Carrageenan."

http://www.oceanusbrands.com/

I'm aghast!

MissJan

Nutrients and fertility

I'm in the midst of creating a list of foods that contain many of the nutrients needed to improve fertility - and in awe of the impact of oxidative stress on reproduction in both men and women.

Antioxidants such as Vitamin C, E, beta-carotene (converts to Vitamin A in the liver), and selenium play a crucial role in fertility. These four heavy-hitters;

Protect against peroxidation (break down) of the fatty acid membrane of the sperm.
Increase sperm numbers, motility, and fertilizing potential.

MissJan

Mattel or Montessori?

According to a recent cover story in The New York Times business section; Recalls Make Toy Shopping a Source of Anxiety, families are running around toy stores aghast - reading labels - afraid of poisoning their children. Parents with little ones grabbing toys off shelves with fear of lead escaping from cylinders of.. yes, even Lincoln Logs are made in China.

MissJan

Fizzify your brain

Go-Gurt Fizzix™ is a new yogurt snack from Yoplait…

I tried to look up the ingredients on their website however, there isn't a peep about what is making the glow in the dark colors of their new "tickle you tongue" flavors;

Blue Raspberry Rage/ Strawberry Watermelon Rush

Wild Cherry Zing/ Strawberry Lemonade Jolt

Triple Berry Fusion/ Fruit Punch Charge

Does anyone have a package of these new taste sensations? I'm interested to know if there is food dye, berries or natural dyes making all of these colors (that are rekindling the 60's in me).

MissJan

Breakfast of champions

Here is a list of before school fare fed to many school-aged children:

whole grain blueberry waffles (too processed- high glycemic), bananas, cheerios, whole milk (white flour needs to go from the plates and lives of children and adults too.)

plain organic yogurt, flax oil, low sugar - homemade granola, cashews, pears (this is good -seeeds and grains in granola - good for the brain )

MissJan

Food and Mood

What if Johnny smacked Joey on the playground because his boxed cereal or waffles didn't give him the nutritional staying power he needed to make it through until snack or lunch time?

What if Julia verbally assaulted and pushed Maddie on the playground during afternoon recess because her lunch didn't last long enough or what she chose to eat was only the sweet, or overly processed meal accompaniments?

Could what we feed our children and ourselves really be mood altering?

Amanda Geary, the founder of the Food and Mood Project, and author of this poem thinks so:

MissJan