I would like to share more resources. I am a resource person and I collect web links with ideas, information and fun facts. Many of these sites I do not even remember where they came from or who sent them to me but I found them interesting, enlightening, and useful. The hardest part is choosing which sites to share because I have collected so many over the years

The first one is http://www.susanohanian.org/  includes a multitude of articles and thoughts on the NCLB issue. I think what drew me to this site or interested me was the controversial angle it portrays. Here you would find articles and information you might not find anywhere else. I think you will find this site compelling.

This next one is Aileron http://www.aileron.net/. They are a non-profit organization created to strengthen communities by helping business owners lead and manage their companies, driving growth, innovation and jobs.  I chose this particular link because I feel that many directors/administrators are incestuous in that they always attend ECE trainings and functions. I believe since we run a business, in fact we are CEO’s of smaller companies we need to step outside and venture into the business world. We have much to learn from them and they have much to learn from us.

Well I had to include one of my favorite people Alfie Kohn http://www.alfiekohn.org/index.html, he is my hero. Alfie understands what parenting is all about and along with that teaching. Relationships is the key to education and parenting and he has such a way with words and delivery that He and I have what I like to call, “like minds”. He gets it and very few people do. See for yourself and how to think for yourself, make decisions based on research and what is best for children.

I am fascinated with Autism Spectrum Disorder and learning as much about this challenging life as I can. Visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/ to learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder and gain a better understanding of the struggles facing these children. This site answers questions you might have such as: What is Autism? What resources are available? How can I get involved? And much more.

I love B&B’s! My idea of travel is staying in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast. In fact, it would be wonderful to retire and own a B & B. Therefore, I just had to share one of the most endearing places to visit.  Glen Laurel is located in the Hocking Hills, which is Southeast of Columbus Ohio.  http://www.glenlaurel.com/  The building is like taking a step back in time to Scotland. This place is a bit pricey but every once in awhile we need to treat ourselves to luxury to replenish and refresh so we have the energy to give to our staff, the children and their families. (Nice gift for the director from his/her staff)

Speaking of gifts, I love Chocolate and websites about chocolate so when I told myself I needed to pick one it was not easy.  I chose Moonstruck Chocolates at http://www.moonstruckchocolate.com/CompanyInfo.aspx. Just for fun, they have an “Election Collection” with Donkey and elephant chocolates. Check it out it is a fun place to look. I enjoy shopping and many times, I don’t buy anything.

I was looking at my “books and publication” favorites and there are so many listings there it was difficult to choose. I decided to share a book that everyone needs to read. Now, when I first began to read it I had to start over and when I usually have to do that I will not continue with the book. Please continue with this book. It appears to be a bit “heady” in the beginning but that is because an anthropologist writes it. Check out the link http://www.continuum-concept.org/ the Continuum Concept is a powerful book that will make you explore your beliefs about child rearing practices. It will make you think. That is a good thing.

An area that is neglected and hopefully not needed too often is grief and the process of grieving. The Centering Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education and resources for the bereaved. This site has provided me with a rich resource of materials that I have purchased and given to parents for various times of distress in their lives. http://www.centeringcorp.com/catalog/index.php

Is your budget tight? Did you know that you could purchase cell phone batteries for less money on line? Yep, check it out at http://www.cellularfactory.com/ and http://www.batteries.com/. They have all sorts of batteries.

I have two loves (besides my husband and my son and my cat) and those are teaching and baking. I combine the two by cooking for the first day of class. If I am teaching around breakfast time, I fix breakfast breads. I just finished Sour Cream Coffee Cake and Blueberry Muffins for this fall. (I will freeze them as classes don’t’ begin until 8/20/08). So, you could imagine how many cooking websites I have in my favorites. I decided to choose the one resource I use the most which is Cooking Light. I love the magazine and the website. Most of my recipes come from that magazine or their website. Lokking for healthy, tasty recipes, visit http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/

Back to childcare and education. If you want to teach concepts and ways of doing things to your staff, try http://www.videatives.com/ . Videatives provides short clips of demonstrations of children in play with a specific focus. “Videatives make general principles of child development and early education comes to life. Students will learn to "see what children know", not by testing, but by careful observation. Teachers will have higher-level conversations with children. Children will learn how to reflect on their actions and receive better support for their thinking.“

“The Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting (CEEP) http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/pubs/katz-dev-stages.html is part of the Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. CEEP provides publications and information to the worldwide early childhood and parenting communities.”

Thinking outside the box is vital to me as an instructor and I tried to do that as a director as well. One area that many people don’t consider when designing or improving on in child care is the environment, specifically, the lightening. Check out this site as I think you will find it enlightening (pun intended) to understand how the lights you use in the center contributes to the children behavior. I change the lighting in the toddler room, the first thing we noticed was the calm behavior, and that parents stayed longer to visit. Try full spectrum light bulbs, they cost a little more but it is worth it. http://www.ecolivingcenter.com/articles/fullspectrumlighting.html

The next site provides tip sheets. Make sure to ask for permission before distributing them to your staff. As with all the links in this article, make sure you are not breaking any copyright laws before printing them as handouts. I have found that most publishers, authors and websites are happy to allow you to print if you ask. http://www.ccids.umaine.edu/ec/growingideas/

Another favorite website of mine for Infants and toddlers is http://www.educarer.org/This site provides articles, some on line courses, and other resources to guide you in your discovery of the younger population.

Last but not least is a job website site http://aaee.org/

I thought I would stop here (jobs) and continue next month with multicultural as we are only part way through my resources and I am only selecting different ones along the way to share with you as there are way too many.

Now, that you have clicked on some links and explored some websites how about sharing yours with your colleagues? Let’s start a discussion on this website and I am challenging everyone to pick one (1) of your favorite websites to talk about and post the link with Recommend a resource. Pick ones I have talked about above and let us see how the discussion grows and develops in the Discussion Forum.

I am looking forward to our continued dialog about resources on the internet!

Until next time,

Beth