Teach Kids About Healthy Shoe Habits.

The Elves And The Shoe Maker The Elves And

The Shoe Maker

Email: talktous@podar.org

This book is dedicated to the innocence in little

children. This book is dedicated to all parents

and teachers to understand that every song,

every story, every interaction with children can

have a lasting effect on their life values, so we

need to be careful and rework certain traditional

forms that we are using in our kindergartens,

afterall it takes a village to raise a child.

Vision by - Dr. Pavan Podar

Very few stories are completely healthy for kids, some adaptations or

changes do need to be made especially when young kids with

growing minds are to be exposed to the stories. ‘The Elves And The

Shoe Maker’ is one such story that requires very little changes or

adaptations, as it is overall very healthy for little kids. Of course kids

should be able to understand the concept of emotions and poverty

before being exposed to the story, so ideal for age 5 onwards.

Since there were no adaptations required we

thought of linking the story to the concept of shoe

and shoe safety for kids. Read this beautifully

illustrated version of ‘The Elves And The

Shoemaker Teach About Healthy Shoe Habits’. This

version is an attempt ‘by’ children, ‘for’ the children

and ‘of’ the children as part of project ‘AVISHKAR -

Creativity and Change in Childhood’ at

Podar Jumbo Kids Plus.

Enjoy this lovely reader story book, written by the kids, illustrated by

the kids to make this world a better place for you, me and the entire

human race…………. Swati Popat Vats-Director.

CURRICULUM AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

E A R L Y C H I L D H O O D

Why are stories important for young children?

Experts in brain research confirm that warm, loving, and consistent relationships

with adults are essential for healthy brain development in young children (Shore

1997; McCain & Mustard 1999; Shonkoff & Phillips 2000; Lally & Mangione

2006); and stories help build these warm, loving and consistent relationships

between adults and children both at home and at school.

When stories are part of children's lives from birth, the children

benefit in three important ways.

1. Stories enrich children's lives.

2. Strengthen relationships.

3. Support their emerging literacy skills.

Stories can reflect past experience, expand what is happening in the present,

and give clues about the future. With help from sensitive and skilled adults,

through stories very young children can:

Access information—For example, discovering the sounds various animals

make and what they eat; why the wind blows; what other people do, think,

and feel.

Learn new concepts—For example, a young child's experience with cats may

be limited to one visit with her neighbor's pet, but a book about their different

colors, shapes and sizes can increase her awareness and expand her

original concept of what "cat" means.

Learn to wonder and ask questions, and have the satisfaction of getting an-

swers to their questions—for example, guessing when the adult says, "And

what do you think happened next?”

Experience the rhythms, rhymes and beauty of language— for example in

Dr Sues books.

Stories can also serve as Discussion starters. This helps children think about

the stories and analyze whether the characters were right or wrong in their

behavior. Discussion starters helps kids talk about their views and helps

adults understand the emerging thinking and moral skills in children.

By responding to their stories this way, we are sending children the message

that we understand and value what they think and say.

According to experts there are stages in a young child's learning to use books-

Based on Schickedanz (1999).

Looks attentively at pictures in a book.

Recognizes a particular book.

Is able to turn the pages of a board book.

Points to pictures in a book.

Holds a book right side up.

Looks at a book from front to back, or whatever way is appropriate for

the language in which the book is written and the culture from which it

comes

Recognizes a book by the cover.

Has a favorite story or book.

Makes comments about pictures in books.

"Reads" the words in a book (telling the story by looking at the pictures).

Uses a word or phrase that clearly comes from a book or story with

which the child is familiar.

Indicates that an adult reading a book has left out or added some

words or skipped a page in a favorite story.

Predicts what might happen next or what the book is about from looking

at the cover.

Tells a simple story.

Pretends to be "reading" to other children, or to a doll or teddy.

Takes notice of letters and words in a book by pointing to them or asking

about the print.

Rehan Shah

Rayan Merchant

Kangna Shah

Arham Shah

Philomena D’souzaMain Teacher

Devraj Huda

Laxman Sanghavi

Riddhi GuptaShiv Shome

Yogesh Challapale

Aiyana MehtaDarinn Carvalho

Saksham Kaushik

Chandni AhujaAsst Teacher

Shiven Gala

Ishaani Chaudhari Fiona Nathwani

Laxmi ShankarDidi

Devangi LodayaSupervisor

Melanie MathiasPedagogist

Shift A. Level 3. Div K-A

Podar Jumbo Kids Plus-I

Dhwani Mehta Advik Ajitsaria Aarav Gupta Nussair Iqbal

Nikita Foria Main Teacher

Sharmila Shetty Asst Teacher

Rajani SalviDidi

Devangi LodayaSupervisor

Melanie MathiasPedagogist

Shift A. Level 3. Div K-B

Podar Jumbo Kids Plus-I

Jana Sinha

Dhruvi Shah

Dhruv Desai

Akbar Sanghavi

Anshika Shah

Dhruv Varyani

Kaviish ManiarNandini Monga

Aditeya Monga

Yuvin Shah

Aarav Parikh

Aditya KrishnanAditya ParikhAnanya Pathak

Mahek Punjabi Tia Vyas

Deepto Basu Basieem Siddique

Dia sharma Dhanisha Savla

Children using shoes are harmful (Prof. Manohar Raelkar)Human feet has a natural curve because of the inner bone structure has a curve.

This curve is very important for balancing the human body. More than that also the jerks

we get from bumpy roads as well as jumping from the heights, these curves helps as a

shock absorbers for the human body.

But those having less curve or no curve are called flat foot. These people can't take jerks

on their waist (like bullock carts). In their old age they get more back pains as these kind

of jerks can affect their joint pains and their muscles become weak.

School authorities, parents, educational department, and government should be made

aware about the research happening on this issue and stop harming the children. People

believe that leather shoes gives support to the curve for the feet.

Researchers who are researching on foot related problems do not believe this and they

have challenged this. Dr. William Rossi in his thesis “Why Shoes Make Normal Gait

Impossible” has said that these shoes affects the normal growth of children.

Children who have started wearing shoes before 6 yrs of age have more foot problems

and their ratio is high.

Researchers have concluded that from childhood if children wear shoes the growth of

their foot gets affected.

So it is said that children should play without foot wear or wear sandals in which their

toes are seen so the growth of their foot does not get affected and brings less harm to

their growth.

Here is something to think about

At Podar Preschools we tell parents not to make kids wear shoes (and socks), instead make them wear open sandals, and in winter open sandals with socks .

When you go to buy shoes/footwear for your child, always fit both feet and

check. As sometimes the sizes on both feet can differ.

Never check the fit when your child is sitting, let your child wear the

shoe/footwear and then stand and walk around.

While your toddler is wearing the shoes/footwear check the toes, press on the

front of the shoe and check if there is room for the toes. This is a sign of a

comfortable shoe.

Also some kids tend to curl their toes while trying on new shoes, so check to see

if child has curled toes, Rubbing your hand along your toddler's calf will help

relax leg muscles and uncurl toes.

When the shoe fits…

Tips for shoe selection-

Rework Level 3

‘Change and Creativity’

to Create

Elves AndThe Shoe Maker

Elves AndThe Shoe Maker

Notice the ‘Documentation’ in the drawings.

You will notice that all the children’s drawings have comments written by the teacher. This is called ‘documentation’; a practice adopted by us from Reggio schools where a teacher asks the child about the drawings and then writes down all points that were mentioned by the child.

There was once a shoemaker, who was very hard working and very honest, but still he could not earn enough to live.

All he had in the world was gone, what was left was just leather enough to make one pair of shoes.Then he cut his leather out, and decided to make them the next morning.

In the morning when he sat to work, he was surprised. Guess what was it? There stood the shoes, all readymade, upon the table. The shoemaker didn't know what was happening.

He looked at the shoes and there was not one false stitch in the whole job; all was so neat, that it was quite a masterpiece.

The same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well that he was willingly to pay the shoemaker double the price. In the evening he cut out the work for two shoe pair, and went to bed early, but when he got up in the morning the work was done ready to his hand. Soon in came buyers, who paid him handsomely for his goods, so that he bought leather enough for four pair more. He cut out the work again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before; and so it went on for some time: what was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak, and the good man soon became thriving and well off again.

One evening, about Christmas-time, as he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together, he said to her, 'I should like to sit up and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me.' The wife liked the thought; so they left a light burning, and hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was hung up there, and watched what would happen.

As soon as it was midnight, there came in four little naked elves; and they sat themselves upon the shoemaker's bench, took up all the work that was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching and rapping and tapping away at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all surprised, and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went, till the job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table. This was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as quick as lightning.

The next day the wife said to the shoemaker. “These little elves have made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good turn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do; and indeed it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold. I'll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and you make each of them a little pair of shoes”.

The thought pleased the good cobbler very much; and one evening, when all the things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of the work that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves, to watch what the little elves would do.

About midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the room, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed mightily delighted. Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and capered and sprang about, as merry as could be; till at last they danced out at the door, and away over the green.

The good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with them from that time forward, as long as they lived.