Mabel Swink of Farmington, Mo., believes discipline is important early in life because disciplining is teaching.

"Discipline is always an issue for families, and the more information I can take home to share with families, the better," said Swink, a Parents As Teachers educator.

Her view was reinforced by the early childhood seminar called "Discipline for Life: Getting it Right with Children," held at Southeast Missouri State University on Saturday.

About 240 people, including Swink, registered to attend the all-day seminar for parents and early childhood educators. The event was presented by the Child Care Resource and Referral/Workshop on Wheels office on the Southeast campus and the United Way's Success By 6 program.

Guest speaker for the conference was Madelyn Swift, president of Childright, a Southlake, Texas-based educational consulting firm that trains parents and educators. In her speech, Swift pointed out that the word discipline derives from disciple and that a disciple is one who helps spread the teaching of another.

In working with children, Swift said, it is important for parents and teachers to keep in mind that a plan of discipline should be more about learning rather than punishment.Other sessions at the conference included a kitchen workshop, how to help children understand divorce and the benefits of reading out loud.

Involving all senses

The kitchen workshop was presented by Diane Miesner of Frohna, Mo., who teaches preschool at Concordia-Trinity Lutheran School in Altenburg, Mo.

Miesner showed her audience how to create picture recipes which are easier for young minds to understand. Picture recipes have an ingredient list and a picture for each action step of the recipe. Each picture has simple instructions.

"The main point of my presentation is to encourage teachers of young children to cook with them because cooking is the only activity that involves all five senses, because other activities you can't eat," Miesner said.

According to Charla Myers, director of the local child care resource and referral office, their agency has been providing the area with a daylong early childhood seminar for approximately the past 18 years. This is the third year it was co-produced with Success By 6.

Success By 6 was created to help ensure that all children are safe, healthy, well-cared for and receive the tools they need to enter school ready to succeed.

jgosche@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133