May 26, 2025 • 17 mins
It's the time of year when families plan their vacations. Let's encourage them to document vacations so their children can share their adventures with teachers and classmates! In this episode of the podcast, Cindy and Alison talk about several ways families can share their vacations with us in early childhood programs.
- Check out our website: https://www.howpreschoolteachersdoit.com/
- Be sure to like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/howpreschoolteachersdoit
- Learn more about Cindy's work, including professional development, family education, and consulting opportunities: https://hihello.com/hi/cindyterebush-RXMBKA
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to How Preschool Teachers Do It. This is Alison Kenttos.
I am an early childhood educator. And this is Cindy
terror Bush. I am an early childhood consultant.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
This podcast is for parents and early childhood professionals.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Let our experience and research based knowledge become your guide.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Welcome back preschool Peep. Hie.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I'm about to catch Alison off guard because I didn't
see her look at her notes.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
There she goes, there, she goes.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Almost made me swear, which is in itself that we
have gone what seven years and I have not sworn once.
Speaker 5 (00:40):
That that is quite amazing And I almost did it right.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
We know how to be good in public?
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Come on in public?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yes, yes, okay, So.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
I caught her off a guard because we want to
shout out people in different places who are part of
our preschool Peep community, so that you who are listening.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
No, you're not alone.
Speaker 5 (01:01):
Alone, You are not alone. Yeah, okay. Anyway, we're shouting
out Ecuador today.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
So hello, hello Ecuador.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
And we're also.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Shouting out Vernon, Connecticut. That's where my cousin lives.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
So, hi is your cousin, Like, do you think your
cousin is the person.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Hi, if you are, do you know who you are?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
There's more than one person in Vernon, but I can't
help you children.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
And I also used to have a friend that lived
near her, but I don't think she lives as close
to her anymore.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
If you're if you're in Vernon, Hi, if you're in Vernon, Connecticut,
and you're thinking I'm not her cousin, then thank you,
thank you for finding us. This episode is releasing on
what is Memorial Day in the United States, which is
the unofficial but official start a summer, start a summer
(01:57):
here in the United States. It of course also is
so that we remember those who died in the service
of our country, and it is the unofficial start of summer.
So we thought it would be a good idea to
give you an idea as families plan their summer vacations
and their weekends away and quick outings whatever they're going
(02:21):
to do.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
So we thought, oh, maybe this.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Is a good time to share an idea that people
might want to share with the families. If you yourself
are not listening as a family, okay, So, and that
idea is asking the families to please document their trips
wherever they go, day trip, over night trip, week long vacation.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
We don't care.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
We want them to document their time in these places
with their children and families, and then have their children
bring it in. When we say document, we mean several
different ways. They could be taking photos that they would
be willing to send in. They could be taking videos, yes,
(03:07):
tell them brief videos. The children have limited screen time that.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
They would be allowed to use. What what else did
we say?
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Journals, quotations that children have said about what they're experiencing.
I would even go as far as like, maybe I
don't know a better word for this, So I don't
know specimens, but that's not the right word.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Artifacts.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, Like if if you're at the Jersey Shore, say,
because that's a big mold, I think for like, collect
some seashells and bring them in.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
We're good with the sand, the seashells, sea.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Shells or like, but you might also be elsewhere and
there might be something really cool to collect.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Yeah, you so artifacts, artifacts we're going to collect.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
And I knew it was not right.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Artifacts we're going to collect.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Ask families collect artifacts, collect and even collecting like or
writing a journal and collecting quotes can just be like
they are somehow recording, whether they're writing or audio recording
a conversation with their children about where they are or
where they've been and what they thought and all that
sort of thing, and then we want them to send
it in. Yes, right, yeah, I think this is the
(04:19):
best Show and tell. I'm not a big fan of
Show and Tell, by.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
The way, Yeah, I know.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
I'm really not a giant fan of Show and Tell.
I think it puts pressure on children and families, and
it's certainly not my job to pressure them as a parent.
I can tell you that I had I was a
working mom, I had a thousand things going on, and
I didn't always remember, Like I'd be like, oh no,
it's Show and Tell day.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Crab a sock and bring it in.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
It's like a lot of pressure. So I'm not a
giant fan. And I also always feel bad for the
children whose families do forget.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, but there's ways, okay, So like we do sharing.
We call it sharing day in my class, and if
they forget, like, I'll find something in the Come on.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
It's not the same.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
It's not the same.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
It's like it's like the people sitting out there who
don't get the Academy Award and the camera's on them
and they have to pretend to be happy about it.
It was an honor just to be nominated, all right.
I'm just saying. I'm just saying. It's It's just it's
not always honor.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
It's not always an honor to be nominated. Okay.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
So I'm just not a giant fan of that. I
also think that we often during show and Tell, make
children sit for longer than their attention span, and that's
a problem. So at any rate, we talked about show
and tell one time, a long time ago on this podcast.
Go find it, people, go google it or something.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Go find it.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
But I think this is the best kind of show
and tell. And it's and it's because it's not a.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Formal show and tell day or time.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
As the children travel or do things or spend a
day with their family, they will bring things in and
then they just happen to get the spotlight that and
they get to show us where they were and what
they did, and if they're verbal, talk about it. You know,
even for infants and toddlers, this can certainly be done.
You ask them to send pictures in and then you
(06:12):
can show the children the pictures of where they've been
with their families and talk you talk to them about it.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
When they're verbal, they can talk to us about it,
and it sort.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Of opens up the world because children are learning about
places that their own families didn't take them. Yeah right,
you know, there are definitely, you know, children who like
by us.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
A lot of children go to the Jersey Shore.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
It's it's really common, but there are fewer children who,
let's say, went to the mountains in Massachusetts, true right
for a weekend or something and brought back pictures of
the mountains to share. And when we can teach the children,
oh this is you would have to drive a long way,
but then you can see these mountains.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
You can get there by.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Car from here.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
You know, you can talk.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
About what sort of transportation did the family have to
take to get there, what did they bring with them
to while they were there?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Is the weather different there than here? Because often I
think of mountains, I think of cold weather, which.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
I know is not always true, but it can be.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
It can be.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
Yeah, it at.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Least gets chilly at night when I'm in the mountains.
Yeah h yeah, you know, and it just you know,
it opens up the world to the children in a
way that I think is very very authentic. Yes, it's
not me saying here, learn about this place. It's the
children teaching each other. Yes, there's a lot to be
said for peer learning.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Yes, And I think seeing the trip through a child's
eyes is different than through the adult eyes.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Right.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
So, like when the child comes in with stuff that
they want to share and they're talking about what was
important on this trip to them, which might be something
entirely different than what is important to mom and dad
or grandma about whoever went with you, it kind of
gives you insight into who they are as a person
and what's.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Important to them. Right like that, Right, it really does.
I also like that.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
I'm thinking about places I've been. I tend tended and
tend to go to. Yes, to go to places that
are pretty pretty touristy. And if you're like me and
you go to touristy places, what you know for sure
is that every path and road leads to the gift shop. Yes,
(08:33):
you're always ending at the gift shop. There's always hereby
a souvenir. And so if you do. I'm not saying
families have to buy souvenirs. But if if they do,
let the families know we would love to see their
souvenirs even.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Or a postcard maybe of just the those are fairly expense.
Here's here's a postcard or where we were, because then
you can kind of I mean maybe track of like
this is how how far away that is too? Like
this took an airplane to get to rather than a
car ride to get to, right, So you can kind
of do that and it maybe post the postcard somewhere
(09:11):
and be like this is a plane ride away.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Sometimes the postcard arrives after your back. This happened when
my son and his fiancee went to Italy. They sent
me a postcard from the Vatican because they knew I
would love that beautiful postcard from the Vatican. And they
were home, I don't know, two weeks before it got.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Here international mail.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they were home approximately two weeks by
the time it got here. So wouldn't it be kind
of cool if we say to the families, if you
are able, you don't have to if you are able
to send a postcard from where you are to the class,
and then even if the child's back, we can say
we can talk about how this is where he was
(09:54):
or this is where she was, and look she sent
us mail, and then you can talk about how mail
were yeah, and why it took so.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Long, and this is the process that it went through
to get to you.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
I one time went to those of you who are
around my age are going to know what I'm talking
about better than others. Maybe, But I one time dragged
my family. Didn't go to dragged my family. And when
we were in Virginia, we went to the mountain that
inspired the Waltons. Look, I can't even say it, the Waltons. Yes,
so we went to It's not called Walton's Mountain. It's
(10:26):
called Scott Schyler, Skyler, Schyler, something like that. I'm sorry
if I'm getting it wrong. If you're sitting on Walton's
Mountain right now, Skyler Skyler. Maybe yeah, I could be
totally wrong about that name too, now that I think
about it.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
That might have been the road, the highway.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
I don't know, But at any rate I'm getting I'm
getting off track.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So I went I went to.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
What what was the inspiration for the TV show The Waltons.
And they have their own little post office in the
in the in the little place that you can go
into and have like a tourist thing in the school there.
So you go into the school and it's like set
up for fans of the Waltons and they have their
own little postmark, right, yeah, so you can also check
(11:14):
when you travel folks, and until let families know that
sometimes places they go to have a way to get
a specific postmark. That's cool, which would be so cool
to show the children, and that teaches.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Them about the mail, the postal service, it does, right,
anything you know.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
I'm also thinking like as people like, as I've traveled,
so I've gotten souvenirs, We've gotten postcards, artifacts, artifact from
where we've been. Pictures videos are so great, but they
have to be sure. Yes, yes we can't have like
a thirty minute video montage. That's not going to work.
(11:53):
What you need to do is inform the families of
whatever your screen time limits are. And if you're working
in a state or a location or a program that
does not allow screen time in that way, then don't
say videos, that's all. Yeah, just tell them that photos
would be great. I also I am a giant fan
of audio recordings.
Speaker 6 (12:13):
I think audio would be really cool, right if you
can't do video because you can't use screens that way,
yea audio recording, you know, being somewhere and having them
describe it or even getting people's reactions can be kind
of cool.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Yea.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
I wish that I knew this back in the day
when I would take my children somewhere and they would
be like, oh, oh, look at that, look at that,
to capture their little voices that way. Please let the
families know that whatever they send in, we are happy
to give back. Yes, that's one of the reasons why
families don't like to send things in from like vacations
(12:50):
and stuff.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Whatever you give me, I will be happy to give back.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Though.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
If it's photos, they can probably share it with you
digitally now, yes, and then.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
You can print them on the computer.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
You can print them and hang them up right, like
maybe you want to take if someone takes a photo
of somewhere they've been that shows buildings, hang it in
your block area if someone Right, if someone takes a
photo like they went to the mountains, hang it in
your science area.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Yes, that would be cool.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
So think about what area would this fit into. Somebody
takes a picture my my family does this, but we're
a little strange.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You know, my uncle in.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
Particular, does that's still take a picture of where we've eaten,
like the restaurant.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Oh yeah, uncle would do that.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Yeah, yes, he'll document where we Yes.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
So put that in dramatic play.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
Exactly, get that in dramatic play. If they send that
in yes, or a picture of them eating, yes, tell
them there's they don't have to answer.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Yeah, there's no answer.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
It doesn't have to be the most spectacular vacation pictures.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
It can be pictures of let them know.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
It could be pictures of the scenery, of events, of
simple day to day routines like having a meal.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
What did you wear on theation?
Speaker 2 (14:00):
I think is a good little simple thing, because you
don't wear the same things on vacation as you.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
Do when you go to school. True often true, So that.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Might be cool.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
Or we did to get ready this day.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Or a picture of if you're staying in an airbnb,
a hotel, wherever you're staying with relatives, a picture of
the place you stayed would be great to talk to
children about, and then we would hang it in the
block area.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
The transportation that.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
You're taking, because like if you're going to different areas,
they have different ways of transporting you around, right, Like
if you're at even like an amusement park, there's monorails.
Speaker 5 (14:33):
That we don't have just going around here. So like
that would be cool.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
A train, if you took a train, the airport, airport,
a bus, if you took a bus into the city.
Say if you just took a day trip into a city,
there's that would be really cool that you can.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
To look at all the transportation.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
And I think when we say to the children, well,
this is your classmate was on this airplane. Your classmate
was in this airport, right, yeah, you know, just don't
get in trouble with.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
The airport personnel on our behalf.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
Yeah, but you know to say, oh, yes, this is
the bus we took. Yes, you know, when we've taken
older children on school trips, we often group them all
together next to the bus and take a picture for
some reason, or I've done that with older children.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
But also like if you're taking like one of those
like bigger charter kind of yeah, they have bathrooms in
them that they they do and often that's what I'll hear,
like the child will be like there was a bathroom
on the bus because they're used to school buses.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
That don't have that, you know, so that makes it
that's true fancy or in my case avoidant.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I totally avoid that if I can.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
If you can, I've gone places and I've taken so
I've taught children of all different ages and directed a
program that had children of all different ages, and we
went with teenagers to.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Washington, d C.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
On a charter bus that had a bathroom, and yet
we stopped to use the rest of them because people.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Don't want to use that bathroom.
Speaker 5 (15:55):
But it's there.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
But it's there, and it's an interesting little tidbit even
to take a picture of the door of it, yes,
and go that went to a bathroom.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Yeah, So just tell the families doesn't have to be
fancy at all. We just want the children to be
able to come in and share their experiences with the
other children.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Yea.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
So I hope that inspires you to tell families to
do things during the summer that will help you to
have meaningful conversations.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
In your program.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
And if you're thinking, yeah, but we don't have a
summer program, that's okay, they can bring it in the fall.
Ye tell them, we're going to want this in the
fall in their next class. Do this as sort of
a you know.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
A school getting to know you kind of activity. Yeah,
it's nice, such an easy, comfortable way for children to
start talking to.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Each other, for sure. Yeah, it's a nice getting to
know you what you did this summer? Yeah, all right.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
I think that's a lot of ideas that people can
go and parse out. Yeah, and we will catch you
next time. We hope that you have had a meaningful,
RESTful Memorial Day. Yes, if you are in the United States, yes,
And if you are not, that's.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
What we're doing here. We will catch you next time
on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
M H
Welcome to How Preschool Teachers Do It. This is Alison Kenttos.
I am an early childhood educator. And this is Cindy
terror Bush. I am an early childhood consultant.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
This podcast is for parents and early childhood professionals.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Let our experience and research based knowledge become your guide.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Welcome back preschool Peep. Hie.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I'm about to catch Alison off guard because I didn't
see her look at her notes.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
There she goes, there, she goes.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Almost made me swear, which is in itself that we
have gone what seven years and I have not sworn once.
Speaker 5 (00:40):
That that is quite amazing And I almost did it right.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
We know how to be good in public?
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Come on in public?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yes, yes, okay, So.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
I caught her off a guard because we want to
shout out people in different places who are part of
our preschool Peep community, so that you who are listening.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
No, you're not alone.
Speaker 5 (01:01):
Alone, You are not alone. Yeah, okay. Anyway, we're shouting
out Ecuador today.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
So hello, hello Ecuador.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
And we're also.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Shouting out Vernon, Connecticut. That's where my cousin lives.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
So, hi is your cousin, Like, do you think your
cousin is the person.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Hi, if you are, do you know who you are?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
There's more than one person in Vernon, but I can't
help you children.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
And I also used to have a friend that lived
near her, but I don't think she lives as close
to her anymore.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
If you're if you're in Vernon, Hi, if you're in Vernon, Connecticut,
and you're thinking I'm not her cousin, then thank you,
thank you for finding us. This episode is releasing on
what is Memorial Day in the United States, which is
the unofficial but official start a summer, start a summer
(01:57):
here in the United States. It of course also is
so that we remember those who died in the service
of our country, and it is the unofficial start of summer.
So we thought it would be a good idea to
give you an idea as families plan their summer vacations
and their weekends away and quick outings whatever they're going
(02:21):
to do.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
So we thought, oh, maybe this.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Is a good time to share an idea that people
might want to share with the families. If you yourself
are not listening as a family, okay, So, and that
idea is asking the families to please document their trips
wherever they go, day trip, over night trip, week long vacation.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
We don't care.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
We want them to document their time in these places
with their children and families, and then have their children
bring it in. When we say document, we mean several
different ways. They could be taking photos that they would
be willing to send in. They could be taking videos, yes,
(03:07):
tell them brief videos. The children have limited screen time that.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
They would be allowed to use. What what else did
we say?
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Journals, quotations that children have said about what they're experiencing.
I would even go as far as like, maybe I
don't know a better word for this, So I don't
know specimens, but that's not the right word.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Artifacts.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, Like if if you're at the Jersey Shore, say,
because that's a big mold, I think for like, collect
some seashells and bring them in.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
We're good with the sand, the seashells, sea.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Shells or like, but you might also be elsewhere and
there might be something really cool to collect.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Yeah, you so artifacts, artifacts we're going to collect.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
And I knew it was not right.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Artifacts we're going to collect.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Ask families collect artifacts, collect and even collecting like or
writing a journal and collecting quotes can just be like
they are somehow recording, whether they're writing or audio recording
a conversation with their children about where they are or
where they've been and what they thought and all that
sort of thing, and then we want them to send
it in. Yes, right, yeah, I think this is the
(04:19):
best Show and tell. I'm not a big fan of
Show and Tell, by.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
The way, Yeah, I know.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
I'm really not a giant fan of Show and Tell.
I think it puts pressure on children and families, and
it's certainly not my job to pressure them as a parent.
I can tell you that I had I was a
working mom, I had a thousand things going on, and
I didn't always remember, Like I'd be like, oh no,
it's Show and Tell day.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Crab a sock and bring it in.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
It's like a lot of pressure. So I'm not a
giant fan. And I also always feel bad for the
children whose families do forget.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, but there's ways, okay, So like we do sharing.
We call it sharing day in my class, and if
they forget, like, I'll find something in the Come on.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
It's not the same.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
It's not the same.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
It's like it's like the people sitting out there who
don't get the Academy Award and the camera's on them
and they have to pretend to be happy about it.
It was an honor just to be nominated, all right.
I'm just saying. I'm just saying. It's It's just it's
not always honor.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
It's not always an honor to be nominated. Okay.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
So I'm just not a giant fan of that. I
also think that we often during show and Tell, make
children sit for longer than their attention span, and that's
a problem. So at any rate, we talked about show
and tell one time, a long time ago on this podcast.
Go find it, people, go google it or something.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Go find it.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
But I think this is the best kind of show
and tell. And it's and it's because it's not a.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Formal show and tell day or time.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
As the children travel or do things or spend a
day with their family, they will bring things in and
then they just happen to get the spotlight that and
they get to show us where they were and what
they did, and if they're verbal, talk about it. You know,
even for infants and toddlers, this can certainly be done.
You ask them to send pictures in and then you
(06:12):
can show the children the pictures of where they've been
with their families and talk you talk to them about it.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
When they're verbal, they can talk to us about it,
and it sort.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Of opens up the world because children are learning about
places that their own families didn't take them. Yeah right,
you know, there are definitely, you know, children who like
by us.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
A lot of children go to the Jersey Shore.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
It's it's really common, but there are fewer children who,
let's say, went to the mountains in Massachusetts, true right
for a weekend or something and brought back pictures of
the mountains to share. And when we can teach the children,
oh this is you would have to drive a long way,
but then you can see these mountains.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
You can get there by.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Car from here.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
You know, you can talk.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
About what sort of transportation did the family have to
take to get there, what did they bring with them
to while they were there?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Is the weather different there than here? Because often I
think of mountains, I think of cold weather, which.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
I know is not always true, but it can be.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
It can be.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
Yeah, it at.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Least gets chilly at night when I'm in the mountains.
Yeah h yeah, you know, and it just you know,
it opens up the world to the children in a
way that I think is very very authentic. Yes, it's
not me saying here, learn about this place. It's the
children teaching each other. Yes, there's a lot to be
said for peer learning.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Yes, And I think seeing the trip through a child's
eyes is different than through the adult eyes.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Right.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
So, like when the child comes in with stuff that
they want to share and they're talking about what was
important on this trip to them, which might be something
entirely different than what is important to mom and dad
or grandma about whoever went with you, it kind of
gives you insight into who they are as a person
and what's.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Important to them. Right like that, Right, it really does.
I also like that.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
I'm thinking about places I've been. I tend tended and
tend to go to. Yes, to go to places that
are pretty pretty touristy. And if you're like me and
you go to touristy places, what you know for sure
is that every path and road leads to the gift shop. Yes,
(08:33):
you're always ending at the gift shop. There's always hereby
a souvenir. And so if you do. I'm not saying
families have to buy souvenirs. But if if they do,
let the families know we would love to see their
souvenirs even.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Or a postcard maybe of just the those are fairly expense.
Here's here's a postcard or where we were, because then
you can kind of I mean maybe track of like
this is how how far away that is too? Like
this took an airplane to get to rather than a
car ride to get to, right, So you can kind
of do that and it maybe post the postcard somewhere
(09:11):
and be like this is a plane ride away.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Sometimes the postcard arrives after your back. This happened when
my son and his fiancee went to Italy. They sent
me a postcard from the Vatican because they knew I
would love that beautiful postcard from the Vatican. And they
were home, I don't know, two weeks before it got.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Here international mail.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they were home approximately two weeks by
the time it got here. So wouldn't it be kind
of cool if we say to the families, if you
are able, you don't have to if you are able
to send a postcard from where you are to the class,
and then even if the child's back, we can say
we can talk about how this is where he was
(09:54):
or this is where she was, and look she sent
us mail, and then you can talk about how mail
were yeah, and why it took so.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Long, and this is the process that it went through
to get to you.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
I one time went to those of you who are
around my age are going to know what I'm talking
about better than others. Maybe, But I one time dragged
my family. Didn't go to dragged my family. And when
we were in Virginia, we went to the mountain that
inspired the Waltons. Look, I can't even say it, the Waltons. Yes,
so we went to It's not called Walton's Mountain. It's
(10:26):
called Scott Schyler, Skyler, Schyler, something like that. I'm sorry
if I'm getting it wrong. If you're sitting on Walton's
Mountain right now, Skyler Skyler. Maybe yeah, I could be
totally wrong about that name too, now that I think
about it.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
That might have been the road, the highway.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
I don't know, But at any rate I'm getting I'm
getting off track.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So I went I went to.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
What what was the inspiration for the TV show The Waltons.
And they have their own little post office in the
in the in the little place that you can go
into and have like a tourist thing in the school there.
So you go into the school and it's like set
up for fans of the Waltons and they have their
own little postmark, right, yeah, so you can also check
(11:14):
when you travel folks, and until let families know that
sometimes places they go to have a way to get
a specific postmark. That's cool, which would be so cool
to show the children, and that teaches.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Them about the mail, the postal service, it does, right,
anything you know.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
I'm also thinking like as people like, as I've traveled,
so I've gotten souvenirs, We've gotten postcards, artifacts, artifact from
where we've been. Pictures videos are so great, but they
have to be sure. Yes, yes we can't have like
a thirty minute video montage. That's not going to work.
(11:53):
What you need to do is inform the families of
whatever your screen time limits are. And if you're working
in a state or a location or a program that
does not allow screen time in that way, then don't
say videos, that's all. Yeah, just tell them that photos
would be great. I also I am a giant fan
of audio recordings.
Speaker 6 (12:13):
I think audio would be really cool, right if you
can't do video because you can't use screens that way,
yea audio recording, you know, being somewhere and having them
describe it or even getting people's reactions can be kind
of cool.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Yea.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
I wish that I knew this back in the day
when I would take my children somewhere and they would
be like, oh, oh, look at that, look at that,
to capture their little voices that way. Please let the
families know that whatever they send in, we are happy
to give back. Yes, that's one of the reasons why
families don't like to send things in from like vacations
(12:50):
and stuff.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Whatever you give me, I will be happy to give back.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Though.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
If it's photos, they can probably share it with you
digitally now, yes, and then.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
You can print them on the computer.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
You can print them and hang them up right, like
maybe you want to take if someone takes a photo
of somewhere they've been that shows buildings, hang it in
your block area if someone Right, if someone takes a
photo like they went to the mountains, hang it in
your science area.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Yes, that would be cool.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
So think about what area would this fit into. Somebody
takes a picture my my family does this, but we're
a little strange.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You know, my uncle in.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
Particular, does that's still take a picture of where we've eaten,
like the restaurant.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Oh yeah, uncle would do that.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Yeah, yes, he'll document where we Yes.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
So put that in dramatic play.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
Exactly, get that in dramatic play. If they send that
in yes, or a picture of them eating, yes, tell
them there's they don't have to answer.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Yeah, there's no answer.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
It doesn't have to be the most spectacular vacation pictures.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
It can be pictures of let them know.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
It could be pictures of the scenery, of events, of
simple day to day routines like having a meal.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
What did you wear on theation?
Speaker 2 (14:00):
I think is a good little simple thing, because you
don't wear the same things on vacation as you.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
Do when you go to school. True often true, So that.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Might be cool.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
Or we did to get ready this day.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Or a picture of if you're staying in an airbnb,
a hotel, wherever you're staying with relatives, a picture of
the place you stayed would be great to talk to
children about, and then we would hang it in the
block area.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
The transportation that.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
You're taking, because like if you're going to different areas,
they have different ways of transporting you around, right, Like
if you're at even like an amusement park, there's monorails.
Speaker 5 (14:33):
That we don't have just going around here. So like
that would be cool.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
A train, if you took a train, the airport, airport,
a bus, if you took a bus into the city.
Say if you just took a day trip into a city,
there's that would be really cool that you can.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
To look at all the transportation.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
And I think when we say to the children, well,
this is your classmate was on this airplane. Your classmate
was in this airport, right, yeah, you know, just don't
get in trouble with.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
The airport personnel on our behalf.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
Yeah, but you know to say, oh, yes, this is
the bus we took. Yes, you know, when we've taken
older children on school trips, we often group them all
together next to the bus and take a picture for
some reason, or I've done that with older children.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
But also like if you're taking like one of those
like bigger charter kind of yeah, they have bathrooms in
them that they they do and often that's what I'll hear,
like the child will be like there was a bathroom
on the bus because they're used to school buses.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
That don't have that, you know, so that makes it
that's true fancy or in my case avoidant.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I totally avoid that if I can.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
If you can, I've gone places and I've taken so
I've taught children of all different ages and directed a
program that had children of all different ages, and we
went with teenagers to.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Washington, d C.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
On a charter bus that had a bathroom, and yet
we stopped to use the rest of them because people.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Don't want to use that bathroom.
Speaker 5 (15:55):
But it's there.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
But it's there, and it's an interesting little tidbit even
to take a picture of the door of it, yes,
and go that went to a bathroom.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
Yeah, So just tell the families doesn't have to be
fancy at all. We just want the children to be
able to come in and share their experiences with the
other children.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Yea.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
So I hope that inspires you to tell families to
do things during the summer that will help you to
have meaningful conversations.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
In your program.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
And if you're thinking, yeah, but we don't have a
summer program, that's okay, they can bring it in the fall.
Ye tell them, we're going to want this in the
fall in their next class. Do this as sort of
a you know.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
A school getting to know you kind of activity. Yeah,
it's nice, such an easy, comfortable way for children to
start talking to.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Each other, for sure. Yeah, it's a nice getting to
know you what you did this summer? Yeah, all right.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
I think that's a lot of ideas that people can
go and parse out. Yeah, and we will catch you
next time. We hope that you have had a meaningful,
RESTful Memorial Day. Yes, if you are in the United States, yes,
And if you are not, that's.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
What we're doing here. We will catch you next time
on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
M H
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