Pats Page for Kids of All Ages

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for Kids of All Ages
Library for Big Kid Stories

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The Beat Goes On
by Pat Fowler

As a caregiver in the wake up room, I had to coordinate activities for four, five and six year old children. It was my observation that the transition between napping and not napping, was not an easy one. I resolved to effect an appropriate change in our schedule to accommodate the various needs of the twenty children in my care. I envisioned a relaxation program which would offer an interesting "pause" in each child's day in a manner that would offer each one of them a rest without necessarily sleeping if they choose not to, or to have a short power nap if they chose to.

During the process, I included simple breathing exercises for the children to do, after which I would encouraged the children to put their fingers on the side of their neck and feel their pulse. As they felt the beat, I would tell them that this was their heart beating just for them. It was saying "thank you" to them for keeping it healthy. I would go on to name some things that one needed to do to look after one's heart properly. One of the things I suggested was to include periods of high activity alternating with periods of low activity in their daily routine.

As the time progressed the children expressed mixed feelings about my new program. I began to loose heart in what I was trying to accomplish. Perhaps they were too young to understand the concept! Then, one afternoon, something happened that made me confident that I and my program were having a positive effect on the children.

After our relaxation program, we all went outside to play in the play yard. Just after all the children had ran off in different directions to pursue what ever interested them, I heard a loud commotion. It was coming from opposite end of our very large play yard. Four kids ran toward me screaming my name. I initially thought that someone was hurt and ran to meet them. As we met, the four of them put their fingers to the side of their neck and said, "Pat, Pat, my heart is beating, my heart is beating." For a moment what they were trying to tell me didn't sink in. Then I realized that they had been thinking about what they had learned in the Relaxation Program about their bodies. They were testing it out on their own terms. The relaxation program stayed.

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The Variety Show
by Pat Fowler

I've always been interested in providing young children with rich first hand experiences. When my son was preschool age, I did not work outside my home. I had a great time planning adventures for him to experience. At this time, my best friend, a professional ballet teacher, needed to provide her Italian ethnic dance troupe with live stage exposure to enhance their training. I suggested that we put a variety show together and provide it free of charge to senior citizen homes. I told her I would provide the rest of the entertainment, as her dance troop could only offer fifteen minutes to the program. She thought it was a great idea.

I approached some of my son's friends in the neighborhood and added twenty-five additional minutes of assorted entertainment to our program. My son, who was almost four years old, was the master of ceremonies. Soon we were ready to go. For four months, every weekend, we entertained the senior citizens of the city.

What an exciting winter we all had. I had organized a positive learning experience for many children which made me feel useful and fulfilled. After the last show, I hosted a cast party for all the wonderful children who had worked so hard.

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What to do with Strangers
by Pat Fowler

I like to see the light of understanding shine in a child's eyes. I was presenting a safety program to preschool children. We had been discussing what to do if a stranger tried to force one of them to go with him. I was having a difficult time trying to impress upon Ryan the need to get away as fast as he could. In every case, Ryan expounded on how he would kick and punch, that horrible old stranger.

I asked him to imagine that I was a bad stranger and that I was trying to take him away. I challenged him to prevent this from happening. He attempted to kick me. I picked him up, and ran from the room. After a short while, I returned with the boy still in my arms. He insisted that I put him down which I did. I reminded him that he was able to get down only when I decided he could. I asked him if he could guess why I had done this. He said, "You wanted to show me that a kid don't stand a chance against someone so big." I nodded and asked him again what he would do if a stranger tried to take him away. He said, "I'd run away so fast that your head would spin." All the other children shouted their agreement. It made me very happy that everyone understood. Now, I am confident that each child knows what to do if a stranger approaches them.

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Who Needs to Know the Words?
by Pat Fowler

Three year old, Jessie was getting impatient. Church was just about over and they still hadn't sung a song that he knew. He wanted to do everything he was supposed to do so that he would be allowed to go to Midnight Mass again next year. Oh, Oh, father just asked everyone to sing along. Jessie felt that the priest had looked right at him when he had asked everyone to join in. He'd better sing this time.

Everyone began to sing. Jessie shut his eyes and shuddered. He didn't know this song either. Everyone else in the whole world singing, even his big sister. What is he going to do? If he doesn't sing too, maybe they won't let him come next year.

This is it, everyone has just about finished singing the song. It's now or never. He sat up real straight, took a deep breath and at the top of his lungs he sang..."Ee, Ii, Ee, Ii, Oh!"

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Short but Sweet
by Pat Fowler

Kris' grade three teacher asks him to re-write his essays about five of his favorite dinosaurs over again. She asks Kris why he included so little information on each dinosaur. Kris replies, " Well, Mrs. Thompson, I'm a man of very few words."

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Look Mom...No Hands!
by Pat Fowler

Terra's mom is struggling with a clothes basket, full of clean, air dried clothes. In order to take the rest of the clothes off the clothes line, she must set the basket down. She asks Terra to help her by getting a lawn chair to set the over-flowing basket on. Terra is a busy preschooler, engrossed in her coloring book. She doesn't want to stop coloring to help her mom.

Terra says, "I can't, Mom, I got no feet."

Her mom suggests, "Crawl over and get the chair for me then, Samantha, please hurry or I'll drop all the clean laundry on the ground."

Terra says, "I can't, Mom, I got no hands."

Her mom has to go and get the chair herself.

Later that morning, Terra decides she wants a treat, she says, "Mommy can I have an ice cream cone?

Her mother smiles and answers, "Oh no, You won't be able to hold it, remember, you've got no hands."

"Well, can I go over to play at Amber's place then," Terra asks?

Her mom says, "Oh, no, you can't possibly go. You won't be able to get there, you've got no feet."

Now Terra does favors for her mom without being asked.

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I Know Him!
by Pat Fowler

A five year old child visits a daycare where he used to stay when he was 3 years old. He is standing, with his mom, in front of a room of seated children that he used to play with, back then. The little boy doesn't remember anyone in the group. The daycare children, do not remember him. The daycare teacher can't believe that her children do not seem to know their former friend. She relates games they used to play together and insists that the children must remember the little boy standing in front of them. Lauren, begins to worry about the little visiter as he becomes uncomfortable standing in front of people he doesn't remember. She turns in her seat to talk to the other caregiver. "Pst, pst, pst, Teacher," she whispers in a loud whisper, "I'll say I know him, but first you gotta tell me his name!"

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Hello!!
by Pat Fowler

Kelly said that if someone at her daycare was ever mistreating her younger brother Josh, she would tell them to stop. If they didn't listen, she would stay right by his side until their mother came to pick them up. Then she would tell her mother the whole story and her mother would settle things. If things got too bad before her mother got to the daycare then Kelly guessed, she would have to stand in the middle of the room and "swear!"

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What Can I Say
by Pat Fowler

Kerri is an only child who lives on an acreage. There are very few children close by for her to play with. Her very best friend is her dog, Charlie. One day she got a little rough with Charlie when the two of them had been playing together. As a result Charlie lightly bit her hand. That her beloved friend would bite her, broke her heart. She thought that Charlie had begun to hate her. She was still sad three days later, when she returned to the daycare after the long weekend holiday. She told me the whole story and ended her sad narrative with a question? How can I tell Charlie I'm sorry for playing with him so roughly when I don't know how to speak "dog"?

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Christ Is Coming!
by Pat Fowler

All the children in the preschool daycare room, are watching the cartoon version of the religious Easter story. After they had watched it the first time, they wanted to watch it over and over again. One particular day all the children were particularly persistent in their desire to view the film yet one more time. I told them that I would put it on later at the end of the day. The children were disappointed and could barely wait for the video to be put on. Finally, it came time to put the video tape on. I did not tell the children that I was starting the movie, and asked Jennifer to tell them for me. In her excitement, three year old Jennifer's words failed her and she could not think of what to say. She waved her little arm in the air like she was cheering at a football game, and shouted, " Hey everybody, Christ is here, Christ is here."

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Trees Have Feelings Too
by Pat Fowler

With a frown on her face Dana, listened to me try to explain to Chris why he shouldn't pull the leaves off the tree. I used every bit of reasoning I could think of to pursuade the three year old boy to stop. The concept of the tree being a living thing was too complex for him and I just couldn't reach him. I decided to get him interested in something else instead. I finally persuaded him to go to the front of the yard and ride a bike. All the while my words had not gone unheeded as I looked up to see Dana, a four and a half year old girl, standing on the bench with the end of one of the tree's long branches in her arms. She was giving the tree a big hug and explaining to it that Chris was just too young to understand what he was doing. She reassure the tree not to worry anymore because the mean little boy was gone now.

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Who's Side Are You On?
by Pat Fowler

When Tom was four he saw a cartoon movie of the Easter story. He had been told about the real Easter story but had not seen it acted out in front of him. Sometimes, one's imagination can shield a person from too much graphic truth, especially if you are super sensitive like Tom is. As the movie progressed, Tom became more upset. By the time it was over, he was sobbing with all his heart. I drew Tom upon my knee and asked him to talk to me about what he was feeling. Through his sobs he managed to tell me that he could not understand why those bad people had treated Christ so mean. Furthermore he could not understand why Christ had allowed those bad guys to hurt him so much. "Why didn't Christ just sock them one, he asked?"

I told Tom that Christ wanted to set a good example for his followers. If Christ had socked the mean people in the crowd, then he would be as bad as they were being. He did not want to set that kind of bad example for those who believed in him.

Tom said that he did not like those mean people and if he was there he would have been on Christ's side and told them to stop.

I said, "Tom, I believe that you just made Christ smile." Tom looked up to the ceiling, smiled back and saluted.

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When I Grow Up...and Up.
by Pat Fowler

My very tall, adult, son and I were at the mall together one Saturday morning and happened to meet one of my four year old daycare children with his mom. I introduced my son to the two of them. Thomas's eyes travelled from Ryan's feet all the way up to his lofty head. He gapped at Ryan and didn't say a word. I said to Thomas that I was happy that he finally got to meet my little boy. Thomas continued to stand and gape at Ryan. Ryan told Thomas that he was glad to meet him. Still not a word came from Thomas which, I might add is very unusual. I suspected what was bothering the little boy and was just about to clarify the matter with him when Thomas finally spoke. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a man, too!"

And what a fine young man he will be.

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Marry Me!
by Pat Fowler

Upon meeting my son, three of the four year old girls in my room at the daycare were very impressed. After my son had left the daycare, I noticed the three little girls whispering in the corner. A short time later, all three girls shyly approached me and said, "When we grow up we're all gonna marry your son.

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Mommy Likes You Best
by Pat Fowler

At the daycare, Billy, one of the little boys in my room, came up to me and declared that he was sad, today. I asked him what had made him feel sad this particular day? He told me that he was very sad because his mom loves his brother better than she loves him. I asked Billy what made him think that? He told me he knew this for sure because his mommy wasn't bringing him to daycare anymore. Instead, Daddy was bringing him to daycare now and Mommy was taking his big brother to school. He told me it had always been the other way around.

I suggested that Billy must have misunderstood the reason why his mom and dad had switched, driving the boys. I assured him that I knew his mom very well and I was totally sure that she loved both he and his brother equally. I asked him to trust my judjement on this until his parents came to pick him up. Then with his permission we could both talk to his mom, and get the whole matter straightened out. Billy agreed to my suggestion.

Sure enough, when his mom learned of Billy's concern and the reason for his concern, she clarified the whole issue immediately. Billy's Dad had been concerned that he wasn't spending enough time with his youngest son. He had persuaded his wife to switch boys with him so that he could spend more time with Billy.

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Crying Eyes
by Pat Fowler

I care for four and five year old children at a local daycare. When the eyes of one of the boys in my room, began to water, he declared that his eyes were leaking.

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Discouraged
from CyberAddik

As I was driving home from work one day, I stopped to watch a local Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-baseline, I asked one of the boys what the score was. "We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile. "Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged."
"Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."

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Kids Say the Darnest Things
from CyberAddik

We often learn the most from our children. Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy." He was embarrassed by his earlier over reaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside of it?"

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness.

My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

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Roles and How We Play Them
from CyberAddik

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in my life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in a school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what Mum," he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me: "I've been chosen to clap and cheer."

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The Most Caring Child
from CyberAddik

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

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Two Nickels and Five Pennies
from CyberAddik

When an ice cream sundae cost much less, a boy entered a coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table, and the waitress was impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said angrily. The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream." The waitress brought the ice cream and walked away. The boy finished, paid the cashier, and departed. When the waitress came back, she swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies, her tip.

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Barney
from CyberAddik

A four year old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here?" The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you think I'll hear Barney in there?" "Oh, no!" the little girl replied. "Jesus is in my heart, Barney's on my underpants."

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Your Story Could Be Here......

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Comments or suggestions to this page are welcome.
Send to Pat Fowler at pf@shaw.wave.ca