Kids and Barbie

Oh…the things a kid will do to Barbie

My daughter has a ton of once beautiful Barbie dolls that she has painstakingly destroyed. Yes, I am a Barbie fan. I grew up with them. I vividly remember my mom making cool clothes that no else had. My barbie beach house, swimming pool, and super cool van kept me, my sisters and neighborhood friends busy for hours.

During Christmas time, I would study the JC Penney toy catalog circling all Barbie paraphernalia. I couldn't wait for christmas eve. Once the presents were under the tree, I would sneak open the sides of the packages, read the labels and resort back to the catalog to see what to expect on what was soon to be the best day of my life! I loved my Barbie dolls. I would never paint on them, leave their hair a mess, or toss them in the toy box without clothes!

So what’s the deal with my daughter? She too loves her Barbie and Princess dolls. She tells me all the time how special Ariel is, but she leaves her in the toy box with no clothes, her hair is a mess and she painted purple nail polish all over her face! She adamantly scowls at me if I try to dress Barbie or comb her hair.  What could this be? So I thought the next time we play with Barbie, I would ease into a conversation about why Barbie and her friends seemed so tortured.




by Anita Smiley

Art and Toddlers

Looking At Art With Toddlers

Teaching young children to appreciate art is not the daunting task that it appears
to be. At a very young age, children are quite capable of having an aesthetic
experience, whether it be the mixing of different textured foods on the high chair
table top or visually interacting with a mobile suspended over the crib. Without realizing it, young children are afforded many opportunities to engage in an aesthetic experience.

When children express preferences for colors, shapes, sounds, tastes and
textures, they are making aesthetic choices. Long before children can speak,their responses to shapes, sounds, and other necessary phenomena around them establish their personal personalities and their styles of interacting with the world.

Every young child expresses awareness and preferences about
the world in different ways. While one toddler sways rhythmically to
music in a television commercial or a song on the radio, another
returns time and time again to look at a particular visual image in a
picture book. Aesthetic experiences can enhance cultural sensitivity, promote language development, and improve the quality of young children's own artmaking.

For aesthetic development to occur, children need experience with
beautiful environments within the school and home, exposure to fine art and
opportunities to discuss art and beauty with thoughtful adults. (Feeney &
Moravcik, 1987).

Written by:
Katherina Danko-McGhee, Ph.D.
Early Childhood Art Education Coordinator, University of Toledo
Early Childhood Consultant to the Toledo Musem of Art
And
Sharon Shaffer, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center
Smithsonian Institution

Off to School

Even though the mornings can be tough, once we are there, she is a happy camper...and that's all that matters.

Dylan's Turing 4!

Then & Now
Turning 4 October 3rd
A Tangled party is in order!