Teachers Make a Difference

Yes.
Just in case you haven't been reminded lately, you do make a difference.
Thanks for being a teacher.



Child Development Theorists That Help Us Teach

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Bowlby, Skinner, and Dr. Spock all have major contributions to child development theories we use today. We found a great cheat sheet video we can use when parent conferencing or simply providing a great scientific foundation for why we teach the way we do in our classrooms.

Dr. Spock has the #2 Best selling book globally!

We like to always be ready to have an answer next time anyone make the comment that all we do is play all day.

We know, if anyone really knew how hard teachers actually worked they wouldn't call it play at all.

For all you hard working teachers out there...

We understand.

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream

Translation: Dear Mom and Dad, I am very very angry. I would really like to ask you both for help but I don't know how. I feel stuck. Do you think you could come talk to me tonight before you go to sleep? I think that would make me feel much better.

We suggest talking it over with a nice bowl of homemade ice cream!

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream With Kids:

•2 coffee cans with resealable lids, one large can and one small.
•5 cups ice
•1 cup rock salt
•1 pint half and half
•½ cup sugar
•2 tsp vanilla
•Instant pudding mix or frozen fruit (optional)
Kids can then stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves and close the can. You will probably want to seal the lid with duct tape for added security.

Now, kids can place the small can inside the larger can and surround it with ice and rock salt. Once adults seal the lid on the larger can, kids are ready to make some ice-cream.
Kids will need to keep that can moving, but with all their energy, this shouldn’t be a problem. They can sit roll the can back and forth to eachother, kick, or shake their ice-cream maker to keep the recipe swirling.
You can set a timer for 15-20 minutes. When the timer goes off, kids can open the cans to check the ice-cream’s texture.
Adults or kids will need to stir the coldest ice cream on the sides together with that in the middle. If the concoction needs a little more firming up, kids can add a new batch of ice and salt and try ten minutes more.

It's a great way to bring a smile to anyone's face!

Changing a Child's Life

Children are one third of our population and all of our future. 
~Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

Every so often we get to see what the majority of children go though in their own lives. Working in various environments and socioeconomic settings has really opened our eyes to the importance of paying attention to our families as well as young children. Getting the right support and skills needed for a family as well as a child is a forefront for success skills for later in life.

The Ounce of Prevention

"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see."

~Neil Postman, The Disappearance of Childhood (introduction), 1982

 Senator Obama spoke in at the Ounce of Prevention Fund's Spring Luncheon. He acknowledged programs such as these among others for for their innovation and proving at risk children can achieve success. Years later we are seeing that people are truly listening and what we knew to be possible now is coming with a plan.

Early Learning Research on Executive Function

 "If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all." 

~Pearl S. Buck

 Nobel Prize winner Dr. James Heckman spoke at Washington State University about recent early learning research. He is passionate about proving the importance of non-cognitive skills such as soft skills. Trying to track and measure executive functions as well as cognitive functions have been quite a task. Why? Improvements in these in these social-emotional skills show kids do better academically.
In Early Childhood Education, this is something we are all passionate about!

Building Skills in Early Childhood Education

" It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." 

~Frederick Douglass

Fostering a positive environment in the child's home proves to be a great foundation for success.
Nobel laureate, James Heckman, discusses how skills build upon skills, which makes it easier to acquire skills for success in future years.  Improving the workforce of next century starts with us building these soft skills up in our children. Starting at the earliest ages birth to age five has been the main course of study.

Soft Skills Show Hard Effects

 Soft skills and Executive Functioning are some terms that have been thrown around a bit in early childhood research. Really it is about getting kids to socialize and develop in ways where they can be their absolute best. I have always tried to stay on board with what is going on with the latest research and development regarding our children. There is more of an emphasis on this now because of the times we are living in.
Being a well rounded in my own education to me means I how what is going on outside the bubble of my own classroom. As are curriculum it means staying cutting edge and working on getting out kids and families in grounded in the skills they will need for success in life.

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High Quality Learning Environments

" A three year old child is a being who gets almost as

much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it 

does out of finding a small green worm."  

~Bill Vaughan

The importance of High Quality Learing environments has been precipitated by Economist Professor James Heckman. He has done tons of research on why kids who have a great start have a better chance at avoiding the major pitfalls we see so prevalent today. Families prove to be a major source of contributing to the development of young children. This we knew, but it's nice to hear people talking about it....

Soft Skills in Early Childhood Education

 Soft Skills such as perseverance, attention, motivation, and self-confidence contribute greatly to "success in society at large. Professor James Heckman has confirmed skills such as these are not only predictive in academic success scores but for successful adults as well. Needful life skills such as these have a foundation in quality early childhood programs and healthy families.
"Fixing people" before potholes and other American concerns. We're listening....

Kids Learn to Go Green With Recycling!

 It is really exciting when kids begin to understand to benefits to going green and recycling. Not only does it save money, but keeps our planet in a much healthier condition. I was excited to read about what one school is doing by allowing the kids to "Go Green" and fully take part!

Investing in People

 Quality early childhood programs not only help develop the next generation but know that the family is a vital part of a child's education. It's nice to know there we are working toward a better brighter future for our families by investing in them. People that understand there are no 'small things', just small things done with great love that will make a difference. Small really is big after all.....

Talking to Children About Fears and Worries

 “We've had bad luck with our kids - 
they've all grown up.”

~Christopher Morley

I never really thought much about young children having worries. It’s wasn’t until some years ago I began to really just make time to sit and have quite times with children that they would actually open up.
This conversation happened many years ago, but it always helped me to remember to make time to spend with children to talk about fears or worries.

I sat on the playground with Harley; his parents loved motorcycles, hence the name.
“Ms. Barbra? What do you think you will be when you grow-ed up?” He said playing with my hair.
I was delighted with the question. It’s a compliment from a preschooler to be thought of as young.
“Hmmmm,” I smiled to myself. “I guess I’ll have to still think about that one.”
“I know-ed what you mean, Ms. Barbra,” Harley sighed shaking his head, “I know-ed what you mean.”

Mine!

Egocentric: The thinking in the preoperative stage of cognitive development where children believe everyone sees the world from the same perspective as he or she does.

I have often been asked by parents, “When will my child stop saying, MINE!” or “When will my child learn to share?” My comedic answer is when 16, but going over the whole developmental explanation of why children share or not can be quite lengthy. In the preschool environment we take turns with toys. All toys are shared through this manner. It has been my experience that a preschooler who is fed, content and happy will be more apt to share than one that is discontent. Whatever the case, early childhood educators have to be on alert and ready to assist children during these times.
Armed with the knowledge I have as an educator I still struggle with sharing somethings as an adult. How does one take turns with chocolate, anyway?
I did have one parent try to pin me down on an age a child is ready to ‘share’. I finally answered her by asking her for her car keys to her coveted Lexus. She reluctantly handed them to me out of her purse as I said, “You wouldn’t mind sharing your car with me would you?”
“But that’s different.” She explained, “What if you crash my car or something?”
“I’m sure children worry about others destroying their toys.” I said flatly.
“But…” She stammered.
“But what?” I smiled, jiggling her car keys.
“But it’s mine!”
 Sometimes the answer just seems to work itself out through the conversation.

The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Education

"You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again."
~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

Play has always fascinated me. Children learn so much in the process and we as adults can facilitate or hinder their learning simply by not understanding what is going on. Granted, there are many types of learning environments and not all children "play" the same. But I do enjoy to see the learning process take place. I am glad to be apart of it. Here is some information about play I have found useful.

The Many Types of Play

Sensorimotor Play

This type of play is seen most often in stages of infancy. Usually, when one is exploring the environment as well as discovering how their body works in relation to it. It involves the different senses; for example, auditory, tactile, sensory, and visual experiences.
Practice Play
This particular type of play involves the repetition of new skills as they are being learned. One could think of it as practicing for mastery and it is continued throughout our lives. About one-third of a preschooler's play is practice play, compared to about one-sixth of an elementary school child's play. Such play contributes to the development of small and large motor skills needed for later game playing or competitive sports. Some early childhood activities include painting, running, swinging, coloring, and mastering daily routines such as clean up time.
Symbolic Play

This is also called dramatic play, fantasy play or make-believe. A child will transform an object into other objects and act toward them accordingly. For instance, Jenna wrapped a bear in a blanket and said it was a crying baby.
Symbolic play is at its peak at about 4 or 5 years of age. This type of play obviously helps to develop any preschooler’s imagination and creativity as well as helps a child develop needed social skills.
Social Play
Social play revolves around social interaction with peers. Basically, if it involves other children, it's social play. Various games can be attributed to social play, games like Hide-and-seek or “Catch”. This type of play will help your child learn how to interact with others and develop friendships.
Constructive Play
This play occurs when a child uses their imagination and skills to create a product. A child can put on a performance, learn problem solving skills, or build structures. For example, artwork, magic shows, and sculpting with clay all involve constructive play. This type of play is important because it develops problem solving skills, promotes creativity, and builds a child's sense of self worth. 

Games with Rules
Usually games involve multiple numbers of children, competition, and rules. This type of play may appear with preschoolers, but is found more often in elementary school children. This type of play can build self esteem if the child is proficient, but it can also be harmful if the child is ridiculed or driven too hard (by parent, coach, or even peers). Age appropriate games and the right environment help the child  learn to enjoy competition and challenges, which will be very important when applying for entrance to college and  job situations.

Play Therapy
Children have a difficult time trying to articulate their feelings through words. Psychologists have determined that a child expresses a great deal through play. This is the idea behind play therapy. Allow the child to play in a controlled environment and observe their behavior. This also allows a child to work through some internal conflicts you may not be aware of. Observing their play may provide insight into the inner feelings or concerns. This may help as you attempt to understand why a child is behaving a certain way. It is important to let a let a trained clinician assist young children when concerns arise. When in doubt, ask a child's parent to simply check with their Pediatrician.

*In the following section the descriptions of the types of play were taken from, John W. Santrock's text Life-Span Development,6th edition

The Honorable Mention: Bad Teaching

"Good teachers are costly, but bad teachers cost more."
~Bob Talbert

A good driver pays attention to their dashboard. As an early childhood education my personal dashboard are the faces of the preschool children. I can tell if they are interested by their looks, gestures…some will even lie down and go to sleep. I have learned that active participation is the key to success when there are times when there are mainly teacher directed activities. I have seen kids ‘shhh’ed when they say things like:

“Are we done yet?”
“This is boring.”
“Do we have to?”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
Oh…there’s more…I’m sure we can think of a few more.
Kids really do deserve our best. I don’t know any good teacher that excuses a child’s bad manners without trying to get to the bottom of it.
Bad teaching = no excuse.

Applying Piaget's Developmental Theory in Early Childhood Education

“The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.”~Jean Piaget

There is a lot to say about developmental theorists and where it all started in early childhood education. After a while, getting to know my preschoolers and organizing my class seems like good old fashion common sense. But before I actually got the hang of preschool my common sense was not so common.

I enjoy David Elkind and Jean Piaget.  After a while I realized there were a lot of fancy words they used with applications that were automatic within the preschool environment, or a home daycare. Here are some of Piaget’s developmental theory highlights…

Piaget on Learning
Learning is a creative activity. The child always takes something of himself or herself and puts it all together to construct a product that is new-a product that cannot be reduced to either the child or the environment.
Piaget on the Teacher’s Role
The role of the teacher is to create an attractive environment conducive to learning. The end point is the ability to have rules and to use rules in flexible and open ways while creating fresh ones for new situations.


Do you think Piaget’s Developmental Theory still hold true today?

The Honorable Mention:The Importance of Spending Time With Children

"Who forces time is pushed back by time; 
who yields to time finds time on his side."
~The Talmud

My team teacher was humming the verse to the song “Cat’s In The Cradle and The Silver Spoon”. She was about to drive me bonkers.
“That song is just stuck in my head!” She giggled as she left the room with some dirty dishes.
“No kidding” I said.
Just then I heard arguing outside the preschool room door and Zach and his dad walked in. It wasn’t Zack’s day to come but it wasn’t unusual that his dad brought him on off days.
“But Dad, you said we could go do some gardening today.” Zack said.
“Zack, you know dad has a presentation tomorrow, right buddy? Next time.”

Just then my team teacher walked in and broke out into song;
Ohhh, the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man on the moon,
When you comin’ home son I don’t know when
We’ll get together then, dad, ya know we’ll have a good time then…
Zack’s dad stopped at door and turned around.
“Come here, buddy…let’s go do some gardening!”
Zack jumped from the coloring table and left with his dad.
“Hey! That was a first,” said my team teacher, “I wonder what happened?”

Understanding Montessori in Early Childhood Education

Children have to be educated, but they have 

also to be left to educate themselves.  

~Abbé Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928

I have had the opportunity to have Montessori training and it is quite fascinating. It is a very organized way of thinking and learning and children are viewed as ‘working’. Although in Developmentally Appropriate Practice it is often said that a child’s work is their play, the word "play" isn’t used here in this environment even though the children learn and have fun. It is my own opinion that Montessori is often misunderstood because any school can give themselves a ‘Montessori’ title simply because it isn’t trademarked. Not a lot of families really know what to look for in a school or a teacher….hence, the misunderstandings….

One thing I look for is the AMS, The American Montessori Society. Teachers usually have evidence of their training posted in their classroom and know who the AMS is. A seasoned directress knows how to use and instruct the children.
With any good quality early childhood program, check it out thoroughly.
One very dedicated Montessori teacher that has really touched my heart has been Ms. Mars. I urge you to check out her blogsite on blogger;
Montessori in Mars   
You'll get the idea of what Montessori is about on her site.

Working With Natural Clay in Early Childhood Education

When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said, "You mean they forget?" 
~Howard Ikemoto

One of my favorite things to do with preschoolers in the classroom is clay. I know, I always say everything is “one of my favorite things”…but it is. Next to art, and everything else…that is. I mean the fresh stuff too, people. Not a bunch of hard crumbly dried up rocks because someone forgot to store it properly, lol.
Proper storage for clay is;
*Air tight container
*Plastic bag covering the clay

*Damp cloth over the top of the clay

I use interlocked pipe cleaners I have twisted together to “cut” it if it is purchased in bulk. I put the wire around the trunk of it as if I was going to tie a bow around it- but instead I simply keep pulling the pipe cleaner toward me and it makes a clean cut through the clay.

Materials:
Clay, trays, small cups of water for each child, covered tables with news print,small bin of water, towels, and smocks (optional)

The Process:
I give the little ones a tray, a damp sponge, a hunk of clay, damp sponges, small cups of water, and put bins of water under the table with towels to dry off (This way they are not dripping back and forth to the sink)
The first few experiences the clay I don’t give them any tools to work with, just their hands. Sometimes they make a product but that is not the main focus, it is mainly sensorial now, later on I add extensions as they become interested in making something.

Extension ideas:
*Pressing dinosaur feet or skeletons in the clay to make fossil impressions
*Pressing insects in the clay and painting them of fossil impressions
*Hand and footprint impressions
*Pressing sea glass and small beads for art projects

What do you enjoy doing with clay?