Markers

[countrymom]

You know I love you and Nan bit I have to disagree
I think that early exposure at the recommended age of the product is necessary. If we don't expose them how are they to learn?

I think that kids are a lot more capable of doing amazing things if we just gave them the chance to try. Just like adults most of the tine they won't perfect things or grasp the concept the first time they are shown.

I have 2 year olds that put caps on markers and 4 year olds that don't. I don't take the markers away, I let them keep the markers in their box and they soon learn that if the caps are left off the markers don't work.

After a few weeks, I will throw out the bad markers of those that ruin them and only give them one marker in their box to learn to care for. If it's success then I will add another marker to the box. The child will usually learn this way thAt they must care for the things they have. If we take it away how will they learn to ever care for them or anything else? To me it's a sense of teaching appreciation and responsibility.

I have to agree with you. I have lots of 2 yr olds who use markers and are really good but marker lids are very very hard to get on, even sometimes I have a hard time so I don't expect the youngsters to be able to do it too.

[Blackcat31]

You know I love you and Nan bit I have to disagree
I think that early exposure at the recommended age of the product is necessary. If we don't expose them how are they to learn?

I think that kids are a lot more capable of doing amazing things if we just gave them the chance to try. Just like adults most of the tine they won't perfect things or grasp the concept the first time they are shown.

I have 2 year olds that put caps on markers and 4 year olds that don't. I don't take the markers away, I let them keep the markers in their box and they soon learn that if the caps are left off the markers don't work.

After a few weeks, I will throw out the bad markers of those that ruin them and only give them one marker in their box to learn to care for. If it's success then I will add another marker to the box. The child will usually learn this way thAt they must care for the things they have. If we take it away how will they learn to ever care for them or anything else? To me it's a sense of teaching appreciation and responsibility.

I didn't say they weren't ever allowed to use them. I re-check for ability every few weeks or so and when they are ready they can have free access to them. These same kids can use the markers when I am directly involved in the use of them so I can make sure the caps are replaced but I am not ususally directly involved in their coloring. I do not have time to sit and be the marker police. If the kids need that much one on one attention just for using markers, they'll need access to them at home and not my house where I have 10 kids everyday.

I help foster and support responsibility. I am not the sole teacher of those skills. The parents need to play a role in the child's learning as well. I do what works for a group of kids. Same goes for scissors. If I am directly involved, the kids who haven't mastered them can use them but if I am not directly involved with the activitiy, they do not get scissors.

There are plenty of other activities that will help children master putting marker lids on instead of actually using markers.

And FWIW, markers are recommended for age 3 and up so I don't feel one bit bad about not exposing a 2 year old to them.

Daycare~ You have also stated you give each child their own set of markers so if they don't put a cap back on, it is their own marker that is ruined. My markers are communal and it isn't fair if one little guy ruins the blue one for everyone else...kwim?

[nannyde]

I didn't say they weren't ever allowed to use them. I re-check for ability every few weeks or so and when they are ready they can have free access to them. These same kids can use the markers when I am directly involved in the use of them so I can make sure the caps are replaced but I am not ususally directly involved in their coloring. I do not have time to sit and be the marker police. If the kids need that much one on one attention just for using markers, they'll need access to them at home and not my house where I have 10 kids everyday.

I help foster and support responsibility. I am not the sole teacher of those skills. The parents need to play a role in the child's learning as well. I do what works for a group of kids. Same goes for scissors. If I am directly involved, the kids who haven't mastered them can use them but if I am not directly involved with the activitiy, they do not get scissors.

There are plenty of other activities that will help children master putting marker lids on instead of actually using markers.

And FWIW, markers are recommended for age 3 and up so I don't feel one bit bad about not exposing a 2 year old to them.

Daycare~ You have also stated you give each child their own set of markers so if they don't put a cap back on, it is their own marker that is ruined. My markers are communal and it isn't fair if one little guy ruins the blue one for everyone else...kwim?

I don't deal with the cap and return thing with markers much because we have an adult sitting there when they are using them. If they can't cap them each use with repeated prompts it just tells us they are done with them and they need to do something else. A few times of getting up from the table and playing with the kids who don't do markers (one and two year olds) then they get they need to do it.

Logical consequences.

I've found that when the first start doing markers they love doing the recap because they like the clicking of it. Once they have done that hundreds of times is when they start getting lazy about it. So it is more common to see the older ones not doing it. By that time they can really get that it leads to the end of the session for them and keep track of it themselves.

I start them at three with them. Any earlier and we have to be too involved in monitoring the caps for mouthing and them coloring the table, their clothes, and themselves. I have them do it when they are old enough to understand that we want paper marking only.

We have free unlimited markers here thanks to one of my moms who supplies us every year so we never run out. We don't leave them out in play so when they do markers they are excited to do it and we rarely have problems. I have one two year old who is running pretty far ahead of the curve so we have sent home a couple of packages of them for home use and her Mom will get her going on them. Once she has some experience at home we will most likely let her onto the table with the biggins.

I NEVER worry about whether or not a child can master stuff like that here. They have at least five waking hours a day with their parents and the most number of kids in the family is two so they have plenty of time in a two adult to two kid ratio or two adults to one kid ratio to get everything they need for their age group. Whatever happens here is just gravy.

[Blackcat31]

I don't deal with the cap and return thing with markers much because we have an adult sitting there when they are using them. If they can't cap them each use with repeated prompts it just tells us they are done with them and they need to do something else. A few times of getting up from the table and playing with the kids who don't do markers (one and two year olds) then they get they need to do it.

Logical consequences.

I've found that when the first start doing markers they love doing the recap because they like the clicking of it. Once they have done that hundreds of times is when they start getting lazy about it. So it is more common to see the older ones not doing it. By that time they can really get that it leads to the end of the session for them and keep track of it themselves.

I start them at three with them. Any earlier and we have to be too involved in monitoring the caps for mouthing and them coloring the table, their clothes, and themselves. I have them do it when they are old enough to understand that we want paper marking only.
We have free unlimited markers here thanks to one of my moms who supplies us every year so we never run out. We don't leave them out in play so when they do markers they are excited to do it and we rarely have problems. I have one two year old who is running pretty far ahead of the curve so we have sent home a couple of packages of them for home use and her Mom will get her going on them. Once she has some experience at home we will most likely let her onto the table with the biggins.

I NEVER worry about whether or not a child can master stuff like that here. They have at least five waking hours a day with their parents and the most number of kids in the family is two so they have plenty of time in a two adult to two kid ratio or two adults to one kid ratio to get everything they need for their age group. Whatever happens here is just gravy.

Nan~ Although we do the marker thing a bit differently, (because of our different set ups) you did reinforce a few of my points:

"I don't deal with the cap and return thing with markers much because we have an adult sitting there when they are using them"
I do not have an additional adult to be the marker police.

"I start them at three with them. Any earlier and we have to be too involved in monitoring the caps for mouthing and them coloring the table, their clothes, and themselves. I have them do it when they are old enough to understand that we want paper marking only."
Another reason I do not make markers available to kids under three without DIRECT supervision.

"..and her Mom will get her going on them"
Yes, parents can initial plenty of skills with their child. I prefer the role of supporter in many areas.

"They have at least five waking hours a day with their parents"
Which is a good deal of time to be able to experience the marker learning under the direct supervision of a parent. When the skill is mastered, then they get free access while at my house.

[nannyde]

Nan~ Although we do the marker thing a bit differently, (because of our different set ups) you did reinforce a few of my points:

"I don't deal with the cap and return thing with markers much because we have an adult sitting there when they are using them"
I do not have an additional adult to be the marker police.

"I start them at three with them. Any earlier and we have to be too involved in monitoring the caps for mouthing and them coloring the table, their clothes, and themselves. I have them do it when they are old enough to understand that we want paper marking only."
Another reason I do not make markers available to kids under three without DIRECT supervision.

"..and her Mom will get her going on them"
Yes, parents can initial plenty of skills with their child. I prefer the role of supporter in many areas.

"They have at least five waking hours a day with their parents"
Which is a good deal of time to be able to experience the marker learning under the direct supervision of a parent. When the skill is mastered, then they get free access while at my house.

Yup... sounds like it's pretty similiar.

I wouldn't consider having them out all the time. I like to have stuff like that be special so when we do it they are all over it. We have SO much stuff here that we can have something different all the time. I like that system better. The stuff they have access to every day are things that require no adult other than general play supervision.

[Crystal]

You know I love you and Nan bit I have to disagree
I think that early exposure at the recommended age of the product is necessary. If we don't expose them how are they to learn?

I think that kids are a lot more capable of doing amazing things if we just gave them the chance to try. Just like adults most of the tine they won't perfect things or grasp the concept the first time they are shown.

I have 2 year olds that put caps on markers and 4 year olds that don't. I don't take the markers away, I let them keep the markers in their box and they soon learn that if the caps are left off the markers don't work.

After a few weeks, I will throw out the bad markers of those that ruin them and only give them one marker in their box to learn to care for. If it's success then I will add another marker to the box. The child will usually learn this way thAt they must care for the things they have. If we take it away how will they learn to ever care for them or anything else? To me it's a sense of teaching appreciation and responsibility.

My children have access to ALL materials as soon as they strt walking. I redirect to have them use materials appropriately. BUT, when it is constant, then they lose privileges. From THAT, they learn that they WANT to take care of the materials so that they can use them again. I teach ppreciation and responsibility by taking things before they ruin them, because I don't wanna be wasteful and keep replacing materials that cost me money.

[nannyde]

My children have access to ALL materials as soon as they strt walking. I redirect to have them use materials appropriately. BUT, when it is constant, then they lose privileges. From THAT, they learn that they WANT to take care of the materials so that they can use them again. I teach ppreciation and responsibility by taking things before they ruin them, because I don't wanna be wasteful and keep replacing materials that cost me money.

Crystal what materials are you talking about when you say "ALL" materials. Considering the fact that most babies start walking between the tenth and fourteenth month... what materials do you allow a ten to fourteen month old to have access to?

I'm not talking about access where your hand is over their hand while they are touching it. I'm talking about access where they freely go to paper, paint, play doh, glue, etc... WITHOUT having an adult holding onto whatever they have.

Are you talking about access where the adult is not physically touching the materials alongside / with the child on a second to second basis of use?

[MissAnn]

My children have access to ALL materials as soon as they strt walking. I redirect to have them use materials appropriately. BUT, when it is constant, then they lose privileges. From THAT, they learn that they WANT to take care of the materials so that they can use them again. I teach ppreciation and responsibility by taking things before they ruin them, because I don't wanna be wasteful and keep replacing materials that cost me money.

This is similar to what I do in my program. I have children ages 3-5 and all materials are out. They become very responsible. They get out what they want to do, and put away when they are done. They know beyond a doubt that playdough stays on the table and we do not mix colors. They know where crayons go and they know not to dump......and if they spill them....they pick them up. These are life skills. I feel these skills are an important part of preschool (My program is a preschool program), just as important as ABC's and 123's. Kids are so much more capable than what we give them credit for at times.

I loved the idea of the individual sets of markers. I wanted to buy pencil boxes at Walmart, but I could not find any. Instead I bought a pencil holder that you put in a binder. Can't remember what they are called right now! They are clear and I will put their names on each one. Natural consequences will occur if they do not take care of their property.

So....we'll see how it goes!

[nannyde]

This is similar to what I do in my program. I have children ages 3-5 and all materials are out.

With your ages the materials are within their age ranges. I'm interested in what materials you can have out for ten to fourteen month olds (new walkers).

[Crystal]

Nanny:

I have ALL materials out....markers, crayons,pencils, paper, play dough, paint, collage supplies, glue, scissors, blocks and accessories, science materials, math and manipulative materials, dramatic play materials EVERYTHING within reach of my walkers. We are actively involved throughout the day in facilitating their work/play and I am completely comfortable allowing my children opportunities to use materials as soon as they are interested. On average, my children are between 12 and 18 months when they begin freely using the art materials. I have NEVER helped a child hold a crayon/marker/pencil/paintbrush. They learn grasping skills at a very young age and if they can hold it, move it to make a mark with it, however light that mark may be, then I allow them to do it. When they first begin using the materials we stay nearby, observing, facilitating and redirecting as needed to teach them the appropriate ways to use the materials....for instance, if they attempt to walk around with markers, we will direct them to sit down with the marker, or put it away....same with scissors, etc. They learn VERY early how to use the materials and as I said before there is ALWAYS at least one but usually a few kids at the writing/art table/area.

It is Emergent Curriculum. It is teaching children based on their interests and their emerging skills. It is acknowledging and honoring that children are quite capable of many things if they are given the opportunity to test out and build their skills.

[MissAnn]

With your ages the materials are within their age ranges. I'm interested in what materials you can have out for ten to fourteen month olds (new walkers).

Oh Lordy! God did not give me the gift or desire to have little ones. I am smart enough to know that. I admire those who can handle all different age groups....but I am not one of them.

[Crystal]

Nanny:

I just wanted to post separately on another part of this.

I realize that there are safety issues with allowing children to have access to these materials. Because I realize those issues, I am HYPER aware of them and am very diligant about having someone directly supervising while children are playing and using materials.

Also, materials are at differing levels, so the littlest children cannot reach the scissors/collage/beads/etc. without an older child or adult getting them down and facilitating/supervising the activity. Those materials are within reach of the preschool aged children and they use them when they choose. At those times, the toddlers might join, and if so an adult supervises.

FTR, I have done it this way for 14 years, and I have never had an issue with it. And, my children are typically writing, without ever using a tracer sheet, by age 3, and writing well by age 4.

[mom2many]

Nanny:

I just wanted to post separately on another part of this.

I realize that there are safety issues with allowing children to have access to these materials. Because I realize those issues, I am HYPER aware of them and am very diligant about having someone directly supervising while children are playing and using materials.

Also, materials are at differing levels, so the littlest children cannot reach the scissors/collage/beads/etc. without an older child or adult getting them down and facilitating/supervising the activity. Those materials are within reach of the preschool aged children and they use them when they choose. At those times, the toddlers might join, and if so an adult supervises.

FTR, I have done it this way for 14 years, and I have never had an issue with it. And, my children are typically writing, without ever using a tracer sheet, by age 3, and writing well by age 4.

Crystal, you and I are on the same page with this! I have had children under 2 yo painting and also coloring with markers and crayons for many years without a single incident. They are closely supervised just as you explained. It is truly amazing watching these little ones dip their paint brushes meticulously into the paint and carefully apply it to their paper. I think people sell them short all too often on what they are capable of!

My supplies are kept out of reach of the younger ones and when it is time for them to participate in the activity, they are seated in their booster seats with paint shirts on & cannot get down until they are cleaned up. I think their favorite part is washing up in the big bowl of soapy bubbles! Even the 3 & 4 yo love this part too!

I closely monitor the markers of these younger ones as well. They learn quickly watching the older ones and get the idea of drawing with them and the same holds true for play dough. As soon as they show an interest, they are allowed the opportunity to participate, but never left unattended. It's an important aspect in the learning process.

[Crystal]

Mom2Many - YES! I LOVE observing the children as they paint and explore. I like to play classical music as they paint....watch how they "flow" with the music as they paint.

I do "community style" with the supplies, also. This way they learn to share and to negotiate to get what they want/need. Great life skills!

[mom2many]

Mom2Many - YES! I LOVE observing the children as they paint and explore. I like to play classical music as they paint....watch how they "flow" with the music as they paint.

I do "community style" with the supplies, also. This way they learn to share and to negotiate to get what they want/need. Great life skills!

Absolutely! I cannot agree with you more! I often have them share supplies and it is such a great way for them to negotiate!!!