Teaching to GIVE rather than RECEIVE

Hello once again! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families.

With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, getting my house clean, shopping for gifts and ffffreeezing in this winter weather, I took a little break from writing.

The Winslow's playroom is coming along.....still not picture perfect ready just yet. Don't worry I'll post pictures as soon as I can!
Boy! Do they have a lot of toys and fun things to go through. These past few weeks have been all about sorting, cleaning and choosing what to keep and what to give away.

Ali and I were discussing how important it is to show children the importance of giving to others in need. While going through Fisher and Tanner's many, many books we chose a few that the boys had outgrown and chose to donate them. Explaining to Fisher how his books could make another child very happy was an interesting conversation.
At first Fisher wanted to keep all the books, then his mom carefully explained not all children have what he has. Some children have no toys or books, and to give those children the things we no longer use would make them feel so good! Fisher said "yeah, we have SO many books and I have two of the same things too." Although children might have a hard time at first "letting-go" to things, explaining it to them makes it easier, and don't forget to get THEM involved!

Cleaning, sorting and organizing is a GREAT time to explain to children what it means to give. The process of giving does not need a huge explanation to a child.
Here are some fun & interactive ways to teach children about generosity.

- Read them one of the many children's books about giving.

THE GIVING TREE- Shel Silverstein

RAINBOW FISH- Marcus Pfister

SOMEWHERE TODAY-Shelly Moore Thomas

-Make it a family affair

Volunteering as a family is also a fun idea. Not only does this give you a chance to spend time together, but it is also one of the greatest ways to show your children the importance of giving back.  They'll be much more inclined to get involved if they see your enthusiasm for it too!

Take your child to buy a new toy (toys r us, marshals, dollar tree, etc)

Let them help pick it out, then be sure to bring them with you to donate it, let them put it in the box.

 www.toysfortots.org

Get all that change out of the sofa, bottom of your purse and from the car. Let your children put it in those little red buckets that you can find outside anywhere at this time of year. Also gather blankets, clothing and toys no longer used, bring them to the shelter in your hometown.

www.salvationarmyusa.org

As a family, have a bake sale, yard sale or make a special money jar for the family pocket change. Collect what you can and donate the proceeds to the Boys & Girls Club. 

www.bgca.org

Let your children know not only people, but ANIMALS too are in need! Volunteer your time to visit a shelter, bring old towels and blankets to shelters, during the holidays buy some dog/cat food during the weekly shopping trip and bring your children to the shelter to show their kindness. Also don't EVER buy a dog or cat from a "pet store", many of those animals are sadly from puppy mills and carry illness and are inbreed. You can adopt ANY type of pet from www.petfinder.com

www.aspca.org

- CHARITY BIRTHDAY PARITIES

It is becoming more and more popular to NOT give presents at birthday parties. Once children learn, see and experience for themselves what it's like to give, many of them opt out of receiving gifts for themselves. Guests of the parties might bring a toy to donate, or give money to a charity picked out by the birthday boy/girl or bring collected items to give to shelters. There are many stories in the news about children with hearts of gold, who really understand being selfless and want to help others. Teach your children about the importance of giving, the knowledge of other lives unlike their own, and how to feel good when doing such a great and fulfilling deed!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/nyregion/27gifts.html

Now go out into the world, spread some holiday cheer and teach your precious children what it feels like to do good!

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future." 

 ~Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The playroom blues.

Organization and children are not two words many people may put together, still it IS possible to have an clean, well thought out and organized space when it comes to children's rooms.  

Seasonal events like Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthday time bring around that constant nagging to "CLEAN UP!" or following around their trail of toys, sports equipment and clothing trying to keep up with the mess. 

How do you help children organize their rooms and their stuff?

Here are a few secret strategies to calm clutter and bring order to kids' rooms. I'm not giving away all of my ideas.....that's why you need Sugar Fish Designs to come and help!!

1.)  Get down on the child's level, see what they see.

 Maybe they're not cleaning an area because it's overwhelming and hard to them to reach things.  Let the space fit the child, it's their little world, not ours. Make the areas simple for them to manage.

-Open baskets & bins

-Easy to reach shelving, not furniture that overshadows them.

-Don't have such huge expectations for them to keep the room perfect, remember they're still learning, not little adults.

     2.)   Label, Label, Label!

                               

       You know those auto labelers, where you type in a word and hit print and it prints out in a flash all neat and ready to stick somewhere? I could go crazy with one of those!!! Labels are the KEY to knowing where things are and where they go. For a child, labels can be as simple as they get without even using words.

- Take a picture or find one on the internet of the major toys. Blocks, trucks, books, puzzles, dress up clothing, etc. Laminate it (you can even use clear packing tape, it works great!) and attach to the box or shelf with velcro. This way you can change out the pictures as the toys change.

- As children get older label things with simple words. Books, Blocks, Dolls, Cars, etc.

this helps them still keep things where they go while learning how to read simple words!

Those are a sample of my many ideas for children's rooms!

Holidays can get overwhelming; traveling, relatives, children everywhere and all that yummy 

bad for you foods! 

But take a deep breath, look around at the chaos and know I can help you fix it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM SUGAR FISH!!

                   

                

1st Playroom Project

I am so honored to be the one to help my very 1st JHCCC love create and design his brand new playroom. My buddy Teak Winslow and his family have bought and renovated a beautiful home in Hingham, MA. It was such a pleasure to be Teak's teacher for 2 years and now I get to work closely with a family I adore to create a fun space for their 2 children.

The boys (Tanner and Fisher) are so lucky to have a huge space in the lowest level of their new home all for their very own.
Ali has asked me to cover a few tasks during this project which include:

• Organization of toys
• Creating designated areas of play (Dramatic area, Reading nook, Art area & Manipulative area)
• Easy assess to toys for children to easily clean up after themselves
• Furniture Placement 
• A creative, organized and most important FUN space for 2 wonderful boys!

Here are the BEFORE photos

(new paint and carpet just installed)

Here are a few of the Sugar Fish Design Goals:

• A cozy quiet area for reading with books organized so they will be easily seen, reached and enjoyed!
• An art area for creative minds to go wild!
• A Dramatic play area filled with costumes, cooking area and mirror to reflect back the fun!
• Original Artwork and photographs hung at children's eye level for inspiration!
• Lots more.....wait and see!

Ordinary Materials to Promote Discovery & Learning

Anyone who knows me (or anyone who worked at JHCCC) KNOWS that we are BIG on recycling and collecting anything that can be used for discovery, art and creating in the classroom! Almost everything you might want to throw out can be used for playtime!! And it's FREE. What could be better than that!

A few years ago I was in a workshop regarding the use of non-tradtional materials, and how fun, cheep and wonderful they are in a child's environment. Try some and see how much your young child enjoys the activity and open ended play.

Infants and Toddlers learn best in the context of relationships with their parents and caretakers. Also through play and active exploration of their environment and the objects in it.

Items should be:

• Safe to handle (no sharp or splintered edges)
• Non-toxic
• Easy to sanitize
• Large enough not to present a choking hazard
• Used under adult supervision

MATERIALS

Tops to liquid laundry detergent, mouthwashes (washed,sterilized)

• for mouthing
• bang two together
• nest
• stack
• use to fill large empty containers
• Explore & Sort by size, shape, color, texture
• Dramatic play prop(cups)
• Sensory table activities, pour, fill, scoop (water or sand)

Fabric, Scarves, Blankets

• Mouth
• Dangle above for the child to bat, track and grasp
• Feel and snuggle; explore textures
• Play peek-a-boo
• Dramatic play prop (hat, scarf, baby blanket)
• Use to fill and empty tissue boxes

Muffin Tins or Egg cartons filled with objects

• Make sounds/music by banging with spoon                               
• Explore shapes and what fits into holes
• Explore one-to-one correspondence (1 object for each hole)
• Prop for pretend play

Baking Sheet

• Velcro to wall for a magnet board
• Use as a tray for messy play (sand, goop, paints)
• Make music/sounds by banging with spoons

Empty Containers such as parmesan cheese container, coffee cans, iced tea mix containers, yogurt cups, fruit cups (etc.)

• Dump and Fill (can fill with other small items)   
• Place lids on and off
• Cause and Effect (sake/make noise)
• Explore concepts of size, shape, color
• Dramatic Play Prop
• Water/ Sand sensory play (fill, pour, scoop)
• Roll around

Laundry Baskets

• Use to dump and fill
• Spacial relationships & Gross Motor (climbing in/out)      
• Balance Practice (pull up on, push, carry)
• Cause and Effect (pushing, pulling)
• Fine Motor (sticking small objects through holes)
• "Help" with chores by putting clothing in

Throw-able Items such as shower puffs, pot scrubbers, wiffle balls

• Mouth
• Bang together
• Dump and Fill into baskets, small swing top trash can, buckets      
• Throw or Roll
• Props for water or painting play
• Explore size,shape, color, textures
• Sort by size, shape, color, texture

ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Plastic or Velcro Rollers

Travel soap dishes/toothbrush holders

Small empty containers-tea tins, empty mint tins, 

Cardboard jewelry boxes, old gift bags

Rubber mats, coasters, soap dishes

Brushes-scrubber brushes, meat basting brushes, finger nail brushes

Funnels

Ice cube trays

Plastic shower rings

                                       

ENJOY! HAVE FUN! 

LET YOUR CHILD LEAD IN PLAY!

Would you like a side of happiness with that?

So, what is Sugar Fish Designs?

It's a way for me to help you- parents, teachers and most importantly children create an amazing environment.
Anything that has to do with a child's space is what I'm here for.
-Playrooms
-Nuseries
-Bedrooms/Baths
-Classrooms (Family and Private Centers)


I am a certified teacher who has been in child care for 10+ years. I've worked in an array of environments. From church basement centers, private non-profit centers to corporate big wig companies and private homes. 
I have a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. This degree has helped me greatly into understanding the needs of many families and children. 
I also have 3 years of college interior design courses under my belt, which I love to refer to as a creative outlet in designing for children.


From something as simple as organizing a playroom to complete design renovation for your child's space.  No matter the size or budget of a project you'll receive:

A beautiful and functional space

Knowledge of products, safety, space planning, convenience

Straightforward pricing

A fun, efficient, & stress-free process   

Services
- In home Consultation

- Organization

- Space Revitalization & Planning

- Personal Shopping 

- Complete Visual Design Plans

- Full Design Services

Contact Info & Pricing Coming Soon!

Welcome little guppies!

Sometimes even when you're running out of hope, feelings of emptiness begin to set in, and you have way too much time on your hands to think of crazy ideas, an unlikely dream ends up becoming a reality. Here is the beginning of just that.


Let me tell you how I got to this point.....
Imagine having your dream teaching job, in a place where everyone is "family", everyone supports one another and not only are the teachers, parents and children amazing, but so is the space!
Filled with endless possibilities of playtime, imagination, fun, laughter and learning. A place where I as a teacher also grew to learn so many things that I hold close to my heart.
Well I had this. 
ALL of it.
Until one sad day POOF!
It was gone. 
The wonderful, enchanting and "nothing quite like it" John Hancock Child Care Center was a thing of past days.
Days filled with children laughing, learning, creating and flourishing. GONE.


The amazing teachers laid off, the beautiful children enrolled elsewhere and the space, toys, and environment no longer my playground! 
What to do? What to do? What to do?


I spent many days sad, hurt and asking if it was truly gone. I'll even admit, to this day I still have a hard time knowing what once was, is no longer. But I continued to hold out hope...


I searched endlessly for jobs that were the right fit, toured every center I could get my hands on, posted resumes left and right. Yes, I was getting job offers. Plenty of them. But every time I set a foot in the door something in me said "turn back, turn back". Nothing filled me with the joy, happiness and excitement I had once held in my heart.


Over the past few months I've had plenty of time to sit with my thoughts. I still felt empty, sad and unsure of my future. But why? I still got to see those families and children I loved from my class. The wonderful co-teachers I worked with were still a huge part of my life. We still got to visit, talk and see each other.  Still something HUGE was missing in my life, I could feel the hole of emptiness.


 "WHAT is it!??" I kept asking myself. Then it hit me.......THE SPACE! THE ENVIRONMENT! 


ALL children should feel as those students did. ALL children deserve a space filled with beauty, happiness, organization, creativity and most of all a place to be themselves. Then it hit me.

Welcome & Introducing

Sugar Fish Designs