Now I can fly...

A comment on the REGGIO-L list led me to think about providing opportunities for children who have struggled with many challenges in life reminded me of a video I watched recently & I thought others may appreciate it. It can be found at this site, under the title "Now I Can Fly". http://achildshopefoundation.org/multimedia_videos.html

KWL Charts

A KWL chart is a great way to start out with a project--but what, exactly, is a KWL chart?

K= What you know already W = What you want to know L = What you learned A few examples from our snails & crabs project... K= What we observed & found out prior to intentionally researching. Snails are slimy. Both snails and crabs have shells. Snails eat plants in the garden & ruin them. W= How do crabs grow new skin (molt) What happens when a crab breaks its leg (from a very concerned child, who had just dropped a block on the crab and yes, broke his leg) Why do snails grow shells and crabs find them (after reading a book about this topic) Where do you find crabs? Can they swim? L = We haven't intentionally reviewed what we have learned yet, but so far we've discovered that snails die if you smash their shells in, that you can find "crab doctors" (reptiles & small animal experts) at the pet store--but they can not repair broken legs, some crabs live on the beach in California, and you can eat snails (but NOT our class snails) and some kinds of crabs (mixed responses on whether or not they are "yucky"). Some things are difficult to UNTEACH, unfortunately. After showing a video clip of two fiddler crabs fighting on the beach that was narrated by an annoying guy from the National Geographic films for children, I am still trying to convince Joshua that crabs do NOT talk. He watched the clip at least a dozen times before I finally took it back to the library (2 weeks overdue). We had a lesson on real & make believe this week, but I still don't think he gets it.

Burn out...

It happens, apparently, even to the best of us. This is the first time I've run two sessions of preschool. I was expecting it to be twice as much work, somehow it seems like it's at least three times as much. Not sure how that happens. Frankly, right now I'm pretty much only doing the state standards (while I usually do incorporate standards-based activities in our center time & occasionally in small group, they have never been the basis of my curriculum up until now) & this last week I've fallen back on pulling out my pre-planned units just because I don't have the energy to keep our projects & investigations going. There is little to no authentic documentation going on, dialog with the children is lacking, and parent communication is limited to problem solving parent notes. This is NOT the direction I want to see my program going. Our project topics were leading into studying snails & crabs. In the last few days the kids have killed most of the snails, broken the leg of one of the crabs, and another is wandering around our classroom lost (hopefully still alive). I'm seriously reconsidering studying living animals, for fear of being charged with animal cruelty. Of course, the kids do still have plenty of self-directed time (more than usual, actually, since I don't have a lot of energy to do teacher directed stuff) & I am at least following their interests in some areas (bringing out materials they request, setting up the environment to allow for activities they are interested in, etc.) I actually do still believe they are getting a more developmentally appropriate environment on my bad days than they do on the good days for most teachers in the area. They are still getting quality care. But I want to get back into engaging with the kids, building a community, encouraging the use of the hundred languages, and nurturing that love of learning!!!

Checklists as Assessment vs. Accountability

I have chosen to incorporate state standards into my program. I was initially quite concerned when they announced they were coming out with pre-kindergarten "guidelines", but viewing them I was very pleased with how developmentally appropriate they are. Using the state standards I developed a four month "cycle" in which I intentionally "teach" each standard--checking it off on my master list when it has been covered. After my first year I discovered we were hitting almost every standard via project work, those few we were not I can toss into learning centers in a variety of ways. There is *no* pressure on the children to "live up to" the standards, no "drill and kill", I do occasionally do a "structured" evaluation (at the beginning & end of the year, though it is not mandatory if they choose not to do it) but for the most part can integrate that as well (asking them to name shapes when playing with the blocks, etc). I have created a developmental checklist for each child, as some of you may recall I debated whether or not I was going to use it this year. After serious consideration, I decided to continue using it. For me, the checklists are not about identifying children's deficits, it is about charting progress and identifying strengths. While the checklists may, in part, guide my teaching for the class, when it comes to an individual child my only focus is teaching these "standards" in a way that is ENGAGING and FUN for the kids. My motto--if they are not having fun, they are not learning, period. This method, for me, provides easy accountability & documentation that the children ARE being prepared for kindergarten, with low stress for the children. It does take some time, but not more than a few hours a month. I spend about 15 minutes a class period observing the children & marking the standards I am focusing on, the rest of the time I am focused on the kids & not the standards. At the end of the month it takes me about 10 minutes per child to move the information from my class list to the individual child's checklist. Is it "Reggio Inspired"? Nope. But, for me, it is a way of demonstrating that the children are learning as much, if not more, than children in "typical" programs. Of course, the checklists are not my sole form of assessment, and are by far not the most important. The learning stories give a much more complete view of the learning process, while anecdotal notes & work samples give a "snap shot". The checklists are included in the portfolio, but not the basis of the portfolio.

Room Arrangement Suggestions...

I'm a couple weeks into the school year & still trying to figure out the best way to set up our room. I was satisfied with the set up for the first week or so, but now am trying to think of more effective ways to manage things! This is long, as usual... Pictures of my intial set up are available here: http://picasaweb.google.com/preschoolteacher/20082009PreschoolSetUp My major questions.... Any suggestions on how to minimize the dumping? My morning class, made up of mostly new 3's, has, for the most part, done fine. However--my afternoon class with older children already familiar with the program, can thrash the room by dumping out EVERY bin in the course of 5 minutes. I want to put out my light table, but can't decide where it should go. I'm open to any ideas. It seems to work better on the floor than on a table, at least it did last year. Entry Way: I love our entry way! We made a coat rack that I think is just wonderful, and I found affordable tote bags at KMart for each of the children (as a bonus, they are organic). I'm trying to decide how best to use the bulletin board in the hall--right now it has pictures & the names of each of the children. I'm not sure whether I'll use it as a documentation panel, art display, or keep their pictures up awhile longer? The parent's board (pink rim) gets a bit cluttered with the items I am required by licensing to post (curriculum outlines, menu, exclusion policies, etc) but is functional. I want to get a calendar with the children's photos instead of the one I have up right now. Still working on that. I do have a door there in the hallway where I have posted our first documentation panel of the year. Still takes a lot of effort to get parents to stop and look at it. Writing Center: This area has actually worked out better than I anticipated. I ended up moving the brown shelf out to open up the classroom more, this helped a lot! The banker boxes have actually been quite sufficent as cubbies, if the children have larger items they simply keep them in their bags. I plan to start on the children's portfolios tomorrow. Blocks area: I only put half my unit blocks out to start with, and ended up taking nearly half of those out within the first week. I probably have about 50-60 blocks out now, and that seems to be plenty for 3-4 children (combined with the other available materials). After the first day I turned the blocks shelf sideways to keep the area seperate from dramatic play more than it was because the children were running wild between the two areas & blocks were getting tossed around without much intentional play. I also moved the tree house into the blocks area since it was getting a lot of use, but kept getting knocked over in the dramatic play area. I also moved our crabs from the science area to the top of the blocks shelf to make the science shelf easier to move for group time. That was, perhaps, one of the best unintentional moves I could make! This triggered the interest in making block cages for the crabs, which grew into garages and castles for the snails & caterpillars. One of my new little ones is also an avid tower builder. My goal for this week is to post pictures of the various structures they have created so they can revisit their work. Dramatic Play: I made a few adjustments to this area before the first day of school. When two of my returning children came for their play group (I hosted an hour-long group with 3-4 children from each class the week before school started) it was apparent their interest in playing "puppies" had carried over from the year before. So I added stuffed dogs & items from the pet store to the pillows in this area. Initially, they were very interested in this "dog bed", but now they seem to be more interested in hiding the dogs under the tables, so it may be time to re-consider the use of this area. They love the play kichen, this is easily one of the most used items in the classroom. However, they are still into dumping & the three baskets of food and dishes end up getting everywhere! I took about half the food out last night, we'll see if that makes a difference. The top of the table is also where I put our parent sign in sheets & notes, which isn't ideal, but I haven't come up with a better idea yet. Science Area: My goal with the science area this year was to position it in a way that it encouraged use of the materials throughout the other centers (particularly blocks and dramatic play). To achieve this, I think I need to add more natural materials for open ended use. We're going on a nature field trip next month & I'm hoping the children can collect materials for this area. Recently we had the chance to shuck corn & we found several corn caterpillars. The children have LOVED these caterpillars (to death, with some of them!) far more than the painted lady caterpillars we had last year (which grew to maturity in a sanitary cup). Literacy Center: I feel like our literacy area is working fine. After trying several arrangements I finally satisfied myself with a nook by the piano. Instead of having the materials against the back wall (where the kids had to pull them out to use them) I replaced these bins with a media shelf full of our lending library materials (my only complaint is the parent's lending library materials are not closer to the door and so far none of the parents have shown interest). I moved the bins to where the book rack is shown now, and added books to the pockets on top. I've tried to incorporate literacy throughout the classroom, of course, but I specifically wanted this to be a cozy area where one or two children could read together or play quietly. I moved the book standto the other side of the area near our open group space, so there is room for more than a couple of children to read. I would like to add a couple child-sized chairs to this area (I love the IKEA child-sized chairs, one of these days...) Art Center: As planned, initially I put out a very simple art area with materials for coloring, cutting, and pasting. The children have shown little to no interest in this area. They love painting, but for the most part are not yet ready for this as an independent activity. I do set up a paint table at least once a week, and any time they request it. I want to set up an easel--but like last year am not sure where to put it. With the drop cloth & all it just takes up so much space! Last week I did a semi-structured collage activity--the children glued tissue paper on tinfoil. They enjoyed this activity & one of the children asked to repeat it. I'm trying to offer one new art experience each week (guided by The Language of Art), but want to see them using this center as a way to communicate meaning more than just a place to color. Any suggestions?

Room Arrangement Suggestions...

I'm a couple weeks into the school year & still trying to figure out the best way to set up our room. I was satisfied with the set up for the first week or so, but now am trying to think of more effective ways to manage things! This is long, as usual... Pictures of my intial set up are available here: http://picasaweb.google.com/preschoolteacher/20082009PreschoolSetUp My major questions.... Any suggestions on how to minimize the dumping? My morning class, made up of mostly new 3's, has, for the most part, done fine. However--my afternoon class with older children already familiar with the program, can thrash the room by dumping out EVERY bin in the course of 5 minutes. I want to put out my light table, but can't decide where it should go. I'm open to any ideas. It seems to work better on the floor than on a table, at least it did last year. Entry Way: I love our entry way! We made a coat rack that I think is just wonderful, and I found affordable tote bags at KMart for each of the children (as a bonus, they are organic). I'm trying to decide how best to use the bulletin board in the hall--right now it has pictures & the names of each of the children. I'm not sure whether I'll use it as a documentation panel, art display, or keep their pictures up awhile longer? The parent's board (pink rim) gets a bit cluttered with the items I am required by licensing to post (curriculum outlines, menu, exclusion policies, etc) but is functional. I want to get a calendar with the children's photos instead of the one I have up right now. Still working on that. I do have a door there in the hallway where I have posted our first documentation panel of the year. Still takes a lot of effort to get parents to stop and look at it. Writing Center: This area has actually worked out better than I anticipated. I ended up moving the brown shelf out to open up the classroom more, this helped a lot! The banker boxes have actually been quite sufficent as cubbies, if the children have larger items they simply keep them in their bags. I plan to start on the children's portfolios tomorrow. Blocks area: I only put half my unit blocks out to start with, and ended up taking nearly half of those out within the first week. I probably have about 50-60 blocks out now, and that seems to be plenty for 3-4 children (combined with the other available materials). After the first day I turned the blocks shelf sideways to keep the area seperate from dramatic play more than it was because the children were running wild between the two areas & blocks were getting tossed around without much intentional play. I also moved the tree house into the blocks area since it was getting a lot of use, but kept getting knocked over in the dramatic play area. I also moved our crabs from the science area to the top of the blocks shelf to make the science shelf easier to move for group time. That was, perhaps, one of the best unintentional moves I could make! This triggered the interest in making block cages for the crabs, which grew into garages and castles for the snails & caterpillars. One of my new little ones is also an avid tower builder. My goal for this week is to post pictures of the various structures they have created so they can revisit their work. Dramatic Play: I made a few adjustments to this area before the first day of school. When two of my returning children came for their play group (I hosted an hour-long group with 3-4 children from each class the week before school started) it was apparent their interest in playing "puppies" had carried over from the year before. So I added stuffed dogs & items from the pet store to the pillows in this area. Initially, they were very interested in this "dog bed", but now they seem to be more interested in hiding the dogs under the tables, so it may be time to re-consider the use of this area. They love the play kichen, this is easily one of the most used items in the classroom. However, they are still into dumping & the three baskets of food and dishes end up getting everywhere! I took about half the food out last night, we'll see if that makes a difference. The top of the table is also where I put our parent sign in sheets & notes, which isn't ideal, but I haven't come up with a better idea yet. Science Area: My goal with the science area this year was to position it in a way that it encouraged use of the materials throughout the other centers (particularly blocks and dramatic play). To achieve this, I think I need to add more natural materials for open ended use. We're going on a nature field trip next month & I'm hoping the children can collect materials for this area. Recently we had the chance to shuck corn & we found several corn caterpillars. The children have LOVED these caterpillars (to death, with some of them!) far more than the painted lady caterpillars we had last year (which grew to maturity in a sanitary cup). Literacy Center: I feel like our literacy area is working fine. After trying several arrangements I finally satisfied myself with a nook by the piano. Instead of having the materials against the back wall (where the kids had to pull them out to use them) I replaced these bins with a media shelf full of our lending library materials (my only complaint is the parent's lending library materials are not closer to the door and so far none of the parents have shown interest). I moved the bins to where the book rack is shown now, and added books to the pockets on top. I've tried to incorporate literacy throughout the classroom, of course, but I specifically wanted this to be a cozy area where one or two children could read together or play quietly. I moved the book standto the other side of the area near our open group space, so there is room for more than a couple of children to read. I would like to add a couple child-sized chairs to this area (I love the IKEA child-sized chairs, one of these days...) Art Center: As planned, initially I put out a very simple art area with materials for coloring, cutting, and pasting. The children have shown little to no interest in this area. They love painting, but for the most part are not yet ready for this as an independent activity. I do set up a paint table at least once a week, and any time they request it. I want to set up an easel--but like last year am not sure where to put it. With the drop cloth & all it just takes up so much space! Last week I did a semi-structured collage activity--the children glued tissue paper on tinfoil. They enjoyed this activity & one of the children asked to repeat it. I'm trying to offer one new art experience each week (guided by The Language of Art), but want to see them using this center as a way to communicate meaning more than just a place to color. Any suggestions?

Obama & Education

I've given up on listening to the political speeches, but I reviewed Obama's outline for ECE thoroughly, and at least he HAS a plan for early intervention. He does intend to "reform" NCLB so teachers are not required to teach to the test. I'd be interested in a link to the speech Sydney mentioned--anyone? From his website... "Obama will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them" Also, "He will work to create assessment models that provide educators and students with timely feedback about how it improves student learning, that measure readiness for college and success in an information-age workplace; and that indicate whether individual students are making progress toward reaching high standards. This will include funds for states to implement a boarder range of assessments that can evaluate higher-order skills, including students' abilities to use technology, conduct research, engage in scientific investigation, solve problems, present and defend their ideas. These assessments will provide immediate feedback so that teachers can begin improving student learning right away". Of course, he doesn't say exactly what forms these assessments will take, nor where the funding for these assessment models will come from. He does recognize the importance for intervention from zero to five, and it sounds as though he will support programs that work with parents in the home, which I am in favor of. He also is in favor of voluntary universal pre-kindergarten, it sounds as if he is willing to support existing programs and "invest more in those programs and ensure they are using high-quality, evidence-based models of instruction that have been proven to work" rather than pressuring states to create new programs. If his idea of "evidence-based" models is focused more on developmentally appropriate practice and research-supported approaches (such as RI, High/Scope, CC, etc), I'm supportive of that, but of course he doesn't say whose research he is supporting. He also supports providing further funding for child care for low income families--if that actually happens I would be incredibly impressed. I'm not holding my breath. McCain, on the other hand, concerns me more in the area of standardized testing & inappropriate educational standards. While he doesn't have anywhere near the well presented outline Obama has, his website states "John McCain Will Build On The Lessons Of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). There should be an emphasis on standards and accountability. However, our goal cannot be group averages. Instead, our focus should be to inspire every child to strive to reach his or her potential. While NCLB has been invaluable in providing a clear picture of which schools and students are struggling, it is only the beginning of education reform.". He has yet to convince me exactly how NCLB has been "invaluable". His focus seems to be primarily on ensuring children are meeting standards & giving parents freedom of choice, rather than improving the educational system as a whole. Personally, if I was voting based on education alone I would probably vote for Obama, just because he DOES have some form of an outline, though I'm sure it is far from perfect. As the entire thing stands, I'm not sure I'll even bother standing in line to vote this year.

The whys of early childhood education...

  We KNOW that young children learn best in > child-centered, experience-based, social classrooms > with teachers that facilitate and foster respect.  > Why, why, WHY is this is the exception, not the > rule, in American preschool classrooms?  Because, in the real world environment (outside of college child development labs with university funding) being child-centered & experience based is a lot more work & takes a lot more resources than teaching a "canned" curriculum, at least in the beginning--and until the TEACHERS recognize the value of following the child's lead and begin fighting for that, we will get nowhere with administrators--IMO. As my school year has just begun & as I have begun the licensing process for home/family child care I have, in the last two weeks, talked to at least twenty individuals about my approach--probably more. This confirmed the fact that there is absolutely no one in this county (and the one next to us) who uses anything that could be even slightly classified as "Reggio Inspired". The closest we've come to is ONE program that uses Creative Curriculum--so far all the rest that offer any form of educational program use weekly themes (with the exception of a few "Montessori" programs, only two of which were able to tell me who Montessori was). Those educators I have spoken with, and even some of the families I have talked to, have reacted to my explanations of the importance of following the children & the value of documentation with comments such as "I don't know how I could possibly do that, I don't have enough time as it is" or "It must be pure chaos to have a classroom where children are all exploring their own interests" (yeah, it is--when you are used to children who sit quietly at story time & rotate through centers every 15 minutes, under the threat of time outs or being sent to the office if they don't comply--and then they wonder why they have behavioral problems?????). As someone who is currently entering a possible position in where I may actually be able to reach other educators in the area and share bits and pieces of Reggio Emilia, I would welcome discussion on how to help these educators and caregivers, all of whom are struggling to do what they believe is best for children despite their lack of time & resources, find a way to implement some of the basic frameworks of Reggio Inspired programs (I know these are heavily debated--but I have found recent discussions in this arena helpful as I ponder this question).

Diversity where there is none...

I've worked in the early childhood field for eight years, and have had only a handful of children who are of African, African American, or Haitian decent. Most of those children I have had are children who have been adopted by Caucasion families. In our neighborhood of 300+ plus people, we have one family of Haitian decent, several families of Hispanic decent, and a couple families of Asian decent. I'm quite excited that my program this year is actually more diverse than it was last--I actually have two children of Hispanic decent, one child who is 1/4 Korean, and another who is 1/2 Japanese. Compared to last year, when the vast majority of my children had blonde hair & blue eyes! In addition, I am one of the few programs in a highly religious community that is not religion based, so I have greater diversity there as well (about 50% of my students are not of the dominant religion). I've tried to incorporate interculturalism (yes, I'm making up words...) in my room wherever possible, including racial and ethnic backgrounds of those not included in the class. I've had Native American speakers cook fry bread, African American storytellers, etc. We celebrated Cinco De Mayo & the Chinese New Year. Our dolls, food, puzzles, books, dress up clothes, etc. represent materials from a variety of cultures. I feel like this is more of a superficial representation of ethics and cultures, but at least it is exposing the children to other possibilities. I like what Leeann said about considering every member of your classroom as a diverse individual. We do incorporate family traditions throughout the year & encourage parents to participate in becoming part of our classroom community. On a side note, how do you accommodate those who do not celebrate, such as members of the Jehovah Witness faith? Or, how do you cope with families who have significantly different beliefs? For example, I would happily include a family whose make up included two moms or two dads (not that it will ever happen in this community!!!), but I can guarantee I would loose many of my current clients, some of whom have placed their children in my program to get away from liberal public school systems.

The Power of K: North Carolina Position Statement on Kindergartens of the 21st Century

North Carolina has issued a powerful declaration on the need for play in kindergarten classrooms.  In speaking with many Utah kindergarten teachers as I prepare to teach private kindergarten next year I've heard many express regret that play, art, science, and music have been replaced with reading, reading, and more reading.  Yes, reading is important...but is it the most important aspect of kindergarten educations?  North Carolinians don't seem to think so...here is to hoping other states follow suite...

http://www.ncreadyschools.org/documents/1PowerofK.pdf

Charter Schools: Degree or No Degree?

Someone please share documentation that what I've found is an exception to the rule, and not the rule in and of itself?

Here, in a typical charter school with a dozen teachers, you are lucky if two or three of them hold degrees in education. They are typically teachers who have children in the school. For the most part, they hire other parents without degrees, or college students. I suppose some of the parents may have degrees in other areas, but ECE teachers are few and far between. In the preschools (connected to the school, but not state funded) I have yet to meet any teacher with anything beyond a couple years of college. I don't believe that a degree makes a good teacher, by any means. I have met many wonderful ECE professionals with little to no education beyond high school. In fact, in many ways, I believe I was a better teacher before I had my degree, when I was learning through trial & error and not overly concerned with this theorist or that, or whether or not I was meeting state standards. Getting the educational background was great, but I don't think that's what makes me the teacher I am. However I do think, for the most part, teachers should have some form of educational background covering topics relating to child development. Perhaps even something like the CDA for child care providers? Though, I'm not particularly a big fan of the CDA program in many ways, it is certainly better than nothing. I would be less concerned if I felt like the charter schools were offering appropriate training, but since nothing is required in that area very few do anything beyond an occasional inservice meeting. The other thing with charter schools in this area is that every one of the charter schools I have visited (the majority of them, though there may be a couple I have missed) use the Core Knowledge Curriculum, which (in my opinion) is highly academic, with little to no integration.

Dream Crushers...

This post was shared on the REGGIO-L listserve, hopefully reading through it will inspire all who work with young children to take a moment to evaluate whether they are building dreams or crushing them...

" I just wanted to tell you about something Sarah said that I thought was interesting, given that you work with adults who will be working with children. When I picked her up the other day she thanked me (very dramatically) for rescuing her from the clutches of the" dream crushers". I asked her what she meant and she said "you know, when you have really great and fun ideas and then the teachers come along and crush your dreams before you even finish telling them about them. They are the dream crushers." I think I'll remind my teachers that they shouldn't be dream crushers. "

The Daisy Project: Another Provider's Experience

Another provider shared this experience on the REGGIO-L list, an excellent example of a "mini project"

http://teacherweb.com/WA/ItsANewDayPreschool/JudyStender/gallery3.stm

Investigations vs. Projects

In our class we have several different "experiential learning opportunities" (I figure using big words makes me sound like we are academically motivated by these experiences...).  I generally categorize these opportunities into projects (an ongoing topic studied by the class), explorations (provocations or "teachable moments" involving a specific media), and investigations, which are described as follows...

This is kind of what I do with my investigations, or "mini projects". As I notice individual interests I record them and provide related materials, to see if the children are really interested. Usually I will have one or two children who are interested in pursuing a topic, and rather than launch a class-wide project I assist them in beginning an "investigation". We do a basic KWL approach, I ask their parents to take them to the library to find books or to visit related community resources, the children often do activities during our work period relating to their investigations, and when they feel they have achieved their goals they present their work to the class. I often have a couple investigations running at once along with our class-wide project, they usually only last a couple weeks--some only a few days. Last year one child found a seashell & wanted to know what it was called, I provided several books & a basket of sea shells for the children to explore. She was joined by several other children, but directed the investigation herself, with very minimal prompting on my part. This led to one child tying in his interest of sea animals, and the two children collaborated together to do their research. Another child was obsessed with the color pink, so I provided her with a full bottle of red paint & white paint, and she and another girl worked for hours in the art area mixing different shades & trying different approaches (such as painting on pink tissue paper). Again, while I provided the materials relating to these interests, the actual investigation was almost completely directed by the child. With each investigation I did a general synopsis for the child's learning portfolio (often with the children's input, though I would like to focus on that more in the future)--I hadn't thought of making a class book, but will try that next year!

Connecting Kids with Nature

http://www.nwf.org/kidsoutside/pdf/CKN_full_optimized.pdf Click on link above for "Connecting Kids with Nature" report from the National Wildlife Federation, new report on outdoor play research and policy solutions for getting kids outside.

Sensory Table Ideas

There's been a recent discussion about the use of food in sensory tables. I do use food, I've used the same rice & beans for the last three years, so it's not like I am consistently wasting food. Considering how difficult it is to get rice these days I would not buy new rice to use. I actually inherited my rice from a head start program when their policy against food items in the sensory table went into place. We do jell-o and pudding finger painting as sensory activities as well--of course those are done on individual trays! I would reconsider my view if I was in a situation where I did have children who were not getting enough to eat, but so far that hasn't been the case (and it is unlikely to be the case--since those parents don't often pay for private preschool). I figure if I get really desperate I can count that as my food storage. ;-) Not sure how the colored rice would work, but the beans should be fine! I've also used cooked spaghetti, both cooked and uncooked popcorn (under supervision--since it is now considered a choking hazard), and corn meal. My favorite this year was the good, old fashioned sand. I actually took a trip to the sand dunes & filled a bucket full of real sand-dune sand (it's legal--I did check!!!), and the kids have loved it. I've suggested rotating other materials several times, and have been out voted. Our sand/water table is outside, inside I use a large tupperware box (the under-bed storage type). I also had beach sand that we used inside with our hermit crabs, that was a favorite. We finished off this year with colored ice cubes, to conclude our year-long investigation on color mixing. The kids enjoyed that--more so the melting the ice cubes than actually mixing the colors. Thinking back, I kind of wish we'd had the light table out for that project--could have been interesting! There's a great list at preschooleducation.com, I hope this link works! http://www.preschooleducation.com/ebook/sand.pdf Curious for those that have water tables--do you have any trouble with licensing? For our water area outside I have a large washtub filled with water--I dump it out after every use. But since I think it is deeper than 24" I am wondering if licensing will allow that next year. I have loved it so much better than the plastic tubs I was using, I hate to switch back! I'm also wondering about rain barrels--how have those worked for those who have them?

Update on our garden area

On our (very tiny) playground space their was a large box full of rocks left over from a landscape project. Besides being an eyesore, the box was attracting wasps, so I finally got a friendly neighbor to volunteer and had him come haul the rocks out of the box and drag the box away. I was thinking of putting a butterfly garden in the bare space it left, so I stacked the rocks around the side & dumped some soil in the middle, meaning to get back to it later. Yesterday the kids all piled into the space (about 2 ft x 2 ft, barely fit eight kids!) and dug to their hearts content. Needless to say, while I may let them throw a few seeds in there just for the fun of it, we will not be having a butterfly garden. My "playground" is about 400 square feet, and I can't make any major changes to it. We do have a large grassy area the children can run around in, but I wish I could add some mulch for our stumps & boards (so far nobody's been hurt falling on the grass, but if my insurance agent knew about that he would not be happy!), a space for a garden, and a few trees.

Ramblings on Natural Environments

I'm wondering how those of you who are licensed get away with allowing "risky" explorations like skating, bike riding, and playing with loose lumber! On one occasion when I was attempting to get licensed I was chewed out for allowing a child to climb a tree. He was more than three feet high, with only grass underneath. Grass is not an appropriate surface for climbing structures, which now apparently includes trees. I don't want to know what she would have thought about letting a four-year-old haul around a two-by-four. I've been trying to replace the Little Tikes play materials with more natural explorations. I just added a couple of tree stumps in addition to a large lawn and several smallish trees, which the children DO climb. I would love to find some tires and boards! Maybe I need to try free cycle! I want to add a butterfly garden, but haven't yet managed to convince my parents to give me a plot of ground (I am working out of their basement & using their backyard). I have a very small area (about 300 square feet) in between two outer buildings which is "mine", the rest of the yard I can use as long as we don't kill the grass (so no permanent structures, but I think tires & boards would be okay!). I also wish we had space for riding bikes, but we only have one small section of cement and the only blacktop we have is a small private lane. I've drawn the line at allowing them to ride bikes there. The neighbors are good at watching out for kids, but the Fed-Ex guy isn't! After reading Leslie's post about campfires and jewels, I wish we had more dirt! We do have a sandbox & I fill plastic tubs with soil and water, but it's just not the same. As a child my backyard was a child's wonderland (it was actually described that way in a homestudy my parents had done). I had access to a huge box of sand and a hose. I spent hours flooding the sandbox, digging and burying things, and making a huge mess. Unfortunately, that sand box is now covered by cement. The make-shift garden plots and the old hand pump where I got water for stirring "chocolate milk" for my younger brother to drink have been covered with manicured grass and carefully thought out arrangements of environmentally appropriate shrubs and flowers. The lilac bushes were torn out to make room for a private driveway. Heaven forbid anyone find a dandelion, there goes my hours picking leaves and inventing various salads. Remembering how I used to show up at preschool with bottles full of pill bugs, I took the kids for a "bug hunt" the other day and all we managed to find were a few spiders. I'm having to import caterpillars and ladybugs for our upcoming project on insects. And the huge trees I used to climb (and yes, fall out of--once resulting in a trip to the hospital, though I never broke a bone) were cut down years ago. Not to mention going from a huge yard with rabbits and ducks and nearly an acre to roam with cousins and grandparents in the backyard, to five homes on the same space, with neighbors who are virtual strangers, all in the name of "progress". And our yard is still significantly larger than the new homes that are being put in, so close together that you can watch your neighbor's TV while sitting in your own living room. I'm only 25 years old. If this much has changed in my relatively short lifetime, how much more limited are my children's experiences with the natural world going to be???? I would love to buy a few acres in the middle of nowhere, but that's not going to happen on an early childhood educator's salary!

Preschool Standards

Our state just released voluntary pre-kindergarten standards next year. I was a bit nervous before the fact, but looking over them felt that for the most part the standards are developmentally appropriate. Actually, I was quite pleased with the thought that having standards in place might actually improve the quality of care in the state. Unfortunately, so far I haven't seen that happening. I do voluntary adhere to the standards. Initially I started out offering set standards based activities in addition to our project work, learning centers, etc. but I soon found that was not needed. The vast majority of the standards can easily be incorporated with projects and play activities, with very little advanced planning and no mandatory activities whatsoever. A few of them did require more planning & carrying out "special" activities, but they were easy to do in a low-stress manner (for example, for learning about "night and day" we had a pajama party and casually discussed things we do during the day and things we do at night--the kids loved it). This year I did developmental checklists based on the standards for each child. Next year I'm doing away with the checklists completely, and replacing them with learning stories and project documentation. I think I've finally reached the point where the parents see their children learning and progressing & don't need the "proof" that checklists offer. I will probably do checklists for the class, but again focusing on integrating the standards into existing activities that the children are already involved in rather than teaching to the standards. I think the point of standards is to ensure that children receive a quality education, and I am not against them if they are developmentally appropriate & if they do not mandate a certain curriculum approach or program. If you're up to it, I would see if you can get a group of early childhood educators together to work with the department of education and help ensure that the standards are appropriate. Our standards were a result of a joint effort between the department of health and the department of education, with the input of many early childhood experts. There is a database of the standards for different states here: http://nieer.org/standards/

The standards for Utah are available here:

http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/preschool-kindergarten/PDF/PreKindergartenGuidelinesFINALDRAFT.pdf

The Light Box

After 1 1/2 years of wishful thinking, I finally got my light box! At the last child care conference I went to I met someone who custom builds furniture & asked him to build one for me, he put it together for $175.00 He also made me some tables & I was going to use the light box on the table, but the tables are a bit higher than I anticipated and with the box on top it's a bit high for the children. So I was thinking of just setting it on the floor (or rather, on a table top I have on the floor in our blocks area) & having them kneel around it. We'll see how this works.

I am guessing the children will all want to crowd around it initially! I'm also wondering if it is better to put it out during our opening work time (which is about an hour to an hour and a half as the children come in) or if I should bring it out during our morning meeting and discuss it before putting it out for work time. I am waiting until after our spring break to introduce it, as I've just made several major changes to the room & don't want to make too many changes at once. It's going to be an interesting provocation!

Autism & ABA

I was an ABA therapist for just over a year. It would have been just over a week, but I'd signed a contract and didn't feel I could break it. It was apparent to me within the first few sessions that ABA did not fit with my belief about how children learn best. I eventually trained in DIR/Floortime, and this "fit" a lot better for me. Yet there are VERY few parents in this area who use a relationship-based approach, and I haven't been able to find any private families to work with. I did have one child with PDD-NOS who was going to enroll in my program, but mom was very ABA-oriented & couldn't stand the "chaos" of a play-based program, even though the child was engaging & following the routines as much as could be expected for a first day. Yesterday was the whole "autism awareness day" thing, and one of the TV stations did a special on it. ABA was proclaimed as the ONLY effective treatment for autism. Other approaches were not even mentioned. Drives me nuts! Don't get me wrong, it may be right for some children and their families, but I wish they could focus on a holistic approach to education. Of course, we can't manage that with our typically developing kids, so why expect it for those children with special rights?