Golf Is For Kids, Too!

It's Master's week here in Augusta, Georgia!!! Every year, our town hosts one of the biggest golf tournaments worldwide. People come from all over the globe. Local folks rent their homes and take on extra jobs that support the tournament (parking cars, catering house cleaning, driving, etc.). All the schools here close, as we use this week area wide for our Spring Break week. Golf is a BIG business. I have to say that as a kid, I did not fully appreciate what all went into Tournament week.  

Golf is a great game of skill. Children can get into the swing of things by playing miniature golf.  I found these cute carrot golf clubs that we have been playing with. It's been a great way to practice eye hand coordination and gross motor skills! Plus, you can't go wrong with golf clubs that only cost $1!!!

             Picture borrowed from: Christie Dedman The Birmingham News
http://blog.al.com/bargain-mom/2012/03/carrot_golf_or_baseball_kits_a.html

I have some WONDERFUL families in our program! One of my moms told me about a great children's book, "Badges, Egg Salad and Green Jackets: Masters A to Z"  written by a local author, Julie Alfriend Ferris, about the Masters. When another mom discovered I didn't have a copy, she gave me a signed copy! It is a great way to acquaint children with golf and the Masters Tournament and is beautifully illustrated with watercolor paintings!

These photos don't do the book justice, but here's a little peek at a couple of my favorite pages:

Here's a video of our local news station interviewing the author about the book. If you or your kids are golf fans, I'm sure you'll want your own copy of "Badges, Egg Salad and Green Jackets: Masters A to Z". You may visit   Junebug Print  or like the "Masters A to Z by Julie Alfriend Ferris" page on facebook to learn more! 

Many of our classrooms have incorporated golf into their activities and decor. Here are 2 of the bulletin boards that classes in our school are sporting!

Happy golfing! 

"Just Playing?" Marble Run

Thanks for joining me here for another installment in our "Just Playing?" series! You are invited to view the photos/videos and really think about what you see going on here and be sure to share your thoughts, observations and reflections in the comments. Sure, the children are playing, but they are also learning! 

This week, I'm sharing a pictures of a marble run some of my school age kids made with blocks. They were so excited to share it with me! They kept revising it, trying to get the marble rolling faster and faster. About halfway through the run they would have to blow on the marble to keep it going. Finally, they tilted the end of the table up just a bit to create a slope which helped the marble roll without any help.

This week is NAEYC's official "Week of the Young Child". I've been so inspired by our "Just Playing?" series, that I wrote a post on PreK+K Sharing this week called "Play Is Where Learning Begins: WOYC".

We may be "just playing", but....

What are the children doing here?

What do you see?

What learning is taking place?

What skills are being practiced/developed?

This post is part of the "Just Playing?" Blog Hop!

Thank you for remembering that young children do not "just play." Young children play. They develop through play. They learn through play. They experiment through play. They grow through play. A child's work is play. Play is important!

Please take a moment to reflect upon the photos and questions above. I would love for you to share your observations in a comment. I'd also like to invite you to "hop" on over to all of the other bloggers who are sharing photos of children learning through play this week:

If you are looking for more of our “Just Playing?” posts and resources from around the globe, please visit our Pinterest Board.

Are you a blogger? Would you like to join the JUST PLAYING? blog hop community?

You can join the hop via our Facebook Group: Just Playing?

or please contact Amy from Child Central Station for more information.