Tulpen!

Yesterday my friend Louis and I took our bikes to North Holland and spent the day tooling around the vast tulip, daffodil, and hyacinth fields out there.  This cultivation area is near the beach of the North Sea, so we also had lunch and dinner stops at beach restaurants.  Of course, I had heard before about the bulb fields and seen pictures-- but being out there in the middle of them in mid April was quite another experience!  I have never been in the Netherlands at this time of year before.  Photographs cannot convey the intensity of the colors in some of these patches of flowers.  And the smells!  When we rode by large fields of flowers, especially the hyacinths, the perfume was almost overpowering. Imagine the smell of 100,000 flowers coming right at you! The whole day was a sensory experience-- sights, sounds, smells, and oh yes, sore muscles.  We did get lost for a while.  Well, not really lost.  As Daniel Boone, the legendary American frontiersman is reported to have said, "I can't say I've ever been lost. But I was bewildered once for 3 days!"  We finally did get back to where we had parked the car.  To see more flower photos, go to my Picasa site.

What's the deal with helmets?

Commuters riding through the Vondelpark

The Dutch ride bikes more miles per person per year than any other country.  According to one Dutch safety expert, they have the lowest injury-accident rate on bikes than any other country.  With all the people riding, you hardly EVER see someone  wearing a helmet.  They DO crash, sometimes (rarely)-- I have seen it.  They ARE skillful riders.  (When you see the 3 year olds scooting along on two wheel bikes, you understand why!) Yet the safety expert estimates that if all Dutch riders wore helmets, there would be 1,000 fewer head injuries in the Netherlands each year!  So why don't they wear them?  I've heard a number of explanations-- vanity (messes up the hair), doesn't look cool, it's uncomfortable, too hard to manage carrying a helmet around all day when bike is your basic mode of transportation, and "we don't need them because we know how to avoid a serious fall."  The notion of a helmet law has actually been discussed in Parliment.  But I think the politicians are afraid to pass what would be an immensely unpopular and difficult to enforce law!  Maybe what it comes down to is people's sense of individual freedom and not wanting anyone to tell them what they SHOULD do! Part of the Dutch "live and let live" (or in rare cases die!) attitude?

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More about the Pistoia preschools

Three year olds creating with clay and natural objects

Since my time last month in the Pistoia preschools and infant centers I have been thinking a lot about some of the things I saw and talked with people about.  One thing that keeps coming back to me has to do with what we in the USA call "accountability" in early childhood education.  Especially in our “best” early childhood programs like Head Start or university lab schools, we are quite concerned with showing, in a quantified way, that the program is effective or beneficial to children.  This means we typically have some standardized measures of development or school readiness that we administer to all the children, so we can show how much children learned from time 1 to time 2.  On a national level, we do studies to show if a particular program or curriculum is “effective,” meaning it has a significant and measureable effect on learning in a large number of children. 

Documentation panel in the hallway about "Experiencing"

In Pistoia, on the other hand, accountability seems to be more personal and individualized.  Teachers rely on documentation panels like the one here to show parents and others how the children are learning. There seems to be at least a tacit aversion to standardized assessment.  The view I got from the educators was something like, "every child is unique" or "we meet each child where he/she is, and go from there." It is obvious, by observing and listening, that the teachers are thoughtful and reflective about each child and what she is experiencing, and what kinds of learning experiences might be beneficial.   Portfolios or diaries are used to document the experiences and development of each child.  Children with special needs are seemingly served by carefully observing their needs and abilities, having conversations with their parents, and working out the best approach on a day-to-day basis.  (I am sure sometimes kids must be referred for in-depth evaluations, but I did not hear about that...)  It all seems to work well, even without the numbers and standardized tests. Children, parents, and teachers seem satisfied that this individualized, qualitative approach works. The funding for these programs has been generous, compared to what we have in the U.S.  I find myself wondering, though, as city and national budgets constrict (and they are!) if there will be demands for more a quantified accountability.  Or maybe these services for children are viewed more as a right and thus not subject to our kind of accountability?  Maybe measurement and standardization are not the Italian way.  What do you think?
To see more photos of the Pistoia preschools, click here.

Cycling and social cohesion

Since returning from Italy I've been settling back into Amsterdam, thinking a lot about what I saw and heard in Pistoia.  My morning runs in the Vondelpark bring me close to many children and parents as they go to school on their bikes. I'm been struck by how much traveling by bike puts everyone in contact-- with their surroundings, and with each other.  Couples or friends ride together to work or school.  Parents take their kids to school, sometimes in what appear to be neighborhood groups.  Mothers ride along with one, two, or even three kids in the "bakfiets," talking with each other.  The children listen to their parents talking, or they just look around, or talk with each other.  They observe all these people from the city, walking or riding their bikes.  Quite different than being encased inside autos. Traveling this way is just another way to be connected with others and with the immediate surroundings. Cycling as a form of social cohesion? 

Spring Fever

It amazes me the enthusiasm of Amsterdamers for these warm spring days.  Today I think everyone left work early and went to Vondelpark!  I cruised around on my bike just taking it all in.  The picture is of a cafe' in the middle of the park.  Packed with bikes and people sitting out having a coffee or drink at 4:00 PM.

Early Childhood Centers in Pistoia

I returned this week from a very rich experience, visiting the early childhood centers of Pistoia, Italy. These centers are not quite as well-known as those in Reggio Emilia, but from all reports they are every bit as good.  I think the most impressive single discovery I had in Pistoia was the leadership I saw throughout the system.  In the several centers we visited, there were very articulate and obviously experienced and competent pedagogues. They had been engaged, often for more than 20 years, in the development of a philosophy of early education, care, and family support.  The philosophy they espoused was quite consistent in each place my group visited—respect for children and families, welcoming children and families with open arms, developing and maintaining close family-like relationships with each child, including their parents, discovery, creativity, and connection with the community.  The second thing that impressed me was the level of investment in the centers—ample space, nice grounds surrounding the buildings, and a high degree of care and attention to the aesthetics of the environment.  “Making beautiful spaces for children that offer ‘provocations’ for children to discover, think, communicate, and relate closely to others.”  See the photos in this link to get a sense of these impressive early childhood programs.

Back in Amsterdam-- And it's spring!

I am back in the city after spending 9 days in Italy, touring early childhood programs in Pistoia and having a nice long weekend in Florence and Siena with Patty.
What a difference a week makes in the feeling of spring! I had my run in the Vondelpark this morning and noticed all kinds of new flowers and people enjoying the nice weather.
Click on this link to see some photos of people in the park.

My Neighborhood

Saturday morning. After a nice long jog in the Vondelpark, I grabbed my camera to take a few morning shots near my apartment.  Saturday is a busy shopping day for many people.  Sunday seems typically to be reserved for rest and entertainment, and most shops are closed.  Today I just went out and took a few photos within 1/2 block of my front door.  Here you will see a father and a mother with their children running errands on Kinkerstraat, the busy shopping street one block from my house.  The mother is riding the typical "bakfiets" (pronounced "baak-feets") that is common among families that have little kids--a wooden box with a seat for two small children, sometimes with a cover for rainy weather. The father has a rather fancy folding version of the bakfiets.  See more photos of "my neighborhood" on my Picasa page. (Or view the slide show...)

Stormy Weather

Sunday.  Today I overcame my fear of going out in the rain!  After a couple of days of mostly holing up in my warm apartment, looking out at the wind and rain blowing in from the North Sea, I started to feel sluggish, fat, and lazy.  Time to brace myself and get out for a run!  This is the Netherlands, where people go out and do things in all kinds of weather!  Again, I am reminded of a statement a Scottish friend made years ago: "There is no such thing as bad weather-- just bad clothes!"  I did make some accommodations in my dress-- goretex jacket, and took off my glasses wore my wool cap.  Running in Vondelpark today turned out to be a great experience!  I was quite comfortable, not cold, despite the blustery weather.  I was rewarded by the following scenes, flashing by. (Sometimes I wish I had a little camera built into my hat!)  A young father striding purposefully along the park road in his Northface parka with the hood up, pushing a well-buttoned-up baby pram.  A father and his young son, both in bright yellow rain jackets, the father jogging and the 8 year old son riding alongside on his bike.  And perhaps most surprising, several pairs of bright green parrots or macaws, flying from tree to tree in the park.  What are they doing here in this northern place!!? Why haven't I seen them before on my morning runs?  Do they like the rain?  They looked quite at home. When I got home I read on a Fodor's web page that "flocks of parrots—apparently the progeny of two escaped pets—...live here year-round."  (See this Fodor's review for more interesting observations about the wonderous place that is Vondelpark.)