Kinder/caring: Empowering Young Children in Early Years Environments

Learning in the Car

2010-02-23T11:35:00.002-05:00

In early childhood, every moment counts! Providing opportunities for children to be exposed to oral language, especially in the forms of high quality songs, stories, and fingerplays will help them in their future reading and writing success. Since young children spend so much time in the car, consider investing in CDs that emphasize these language strategies.

-play rhyming, quality children's music (e.g., Raffi) that use rhyme, play on words, and rhythm in songs

-expose children to nursery rhymes by playing them in the car (knowledge of nursery rhymes has been proven to be an indicator of reading success later on in life)

-encourage children to learn the names of letters and their corresponding sounds by playing CDs that emphasize these

-simple recorded stories can be borrowed from the library and played. By not seeing a corresponding picture, children are free to use their imaginations to illustrate the text

-play sound games with children. Stretch out words by emphasizing their individual sounds and encourage children to guess what the word it (e.g., c-a-t is cat)

-play I spy but use sounds (e.g., I spy something that begins with an 'a' sound)

-engage your children in conversation in the car. Encourage them to describe their day by prompting them with higher-level questioning such as who, what, why, where, when, and how questions. Avoid yes/no responses that limit children's explanation

Empowering Families in the Interview Process

2010-02-16T09:49:00.002-05:00

I recently experienced my first parent-teacher interview from a mother's perspective. As a teacher I have held hundreds of interviews with families related to their children's progress and development in our classroom. Participating in the interview from the other side helped me realize how I could modify my interviewing process to help families feel more comfortable and get the most for the very short duration of time we are together.

Consider:

-providing families with a template for the interview ahead of time that will guide them through the process and help them consider what information and questions they really want to discuss with you

-have children's work available to families before the interview (e.g., on their desks, in file folders) so families can spend the time waiting for the interview reviewing this work

-consider having copies of recent newsletters, memos, and any other pertinent classroom information posted outside the interview space for family review

-encourage families to bring their children to the interview so they can be a part of this learning experience

-provide families with a 'comments' form to return after the interview that allows them to ask further questions and provide feedback to you regarding the interview experience

Edible Art Work

2010-02-05T14:18:00.002-05:00

Kids got the winter blahs? Visit your local grocery store and stock up on fruit and vegetable treats that are a variety of shapes, colours, and textures. Build children's oral language and vocabulary by encouraging them to describe what they see (e.g., pineapples have segments, bananas are long and curved, strawberries are triangular). Carefully clean and cut the fruit and vegetables into a variety of pieces. Using toothpicks, encourage your children to create three-dimensional art work by sticking the food together in a variety of ways. Celebrate the creations by taking pictures of the art and then deconstruct it and enjoy it together as a snack or after dinner dessert!

Recognizing High Quality Daycare and Kindergarten Programs

2010-02-02T14:20:00.002-05:00

Any parent with a child in daycare or kindergarten has wondered at one time or another about the quality of his or her child's early years program. While searching for information on this I found a great website that lists criteria, including a checklist, for families to use when assessing their child's early years environment. An excellent resource that I wish I had years ago!

Barrier Games

2010-02-02T13:06:00.003-05:00

Barrier games are an easy and fun way to build listening skills, an understanding of position language, and oral language abilities in young children. They can be incorporated into the math center or sent home as an extension activity for parents. Two players sit on either side of a barrier (e.g., small screen, open folder) so that they cannot see each other. Each person takes a turn giving instructions to the other person to perform certain tasks. Players alternate between speaker and listener roles. Because they cannot see each other's work, they must learn to give clear, concise directions, and listen very carefully to one another. Players can use a variety of materials (e.g., blocks, magnet letters, shapes, crayons) for this task.

Examples:

*draw a blue circle, draw a small yellow circle inside the blue circle, write your name under the blue circle

*place the square on top of a triangle, put a rectangle next to the triangle on the left side

*write your name in the center of the paper, put a large red circle around your name, cross out the first letter of your name

The Princess and the Frog

2010-01-17T23:00:00.004-05:00

We took my three year old daughter to see Disney's The Princess and The Frog today. It was her first movie and she was very excited. I'll admit my bias before you read this post further. I grew up on Disney and have had a love for the fairytale based films since childhood. Even as an adult I become transformed into a child when watching these movies with my daughter. But even though I'm enjoying the experience, I can't turn off my brain while watching the movies and pick up so many small nuances that bother me. Do I really want my daughter watching movies that emphasize that the woman only becomes 'whole' when she falls in love with her prince? Life is only complete when the man kisses you? What about all the racial and cultural stereotypes that are portrayed in even the minor characters? How do all these elements affect my daughter's subconscious? 'It's just a movie' you might think, but it's so much more than that. Even though I purposely avoid buying my daughter commercialized toys and books like the plethora of Disney and Dora products available, these are all she seems to get when receiving gifts from others at holiday time. Just tonight her bedtime story was from her Disney Princesses "Stories of Friendship and Love" book. I cringed as I listened to my husband read a story about how Sleeping Beauty planned a lovely party for her and the Prince. "And they danced together all night long...." Blah! How much is too much and is it fair to limit it when it's so prevalent in society? An excellent read for those of you interested is "The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence" by Henry Giroux.

(and what about educators who incorporate pop culture into their classrooms as decorations...)

Helping Children Become Agents of Social Change

2010-01-15T16:27:00.004-05:00

I have helplessly watched the tragedy in Haiti on the news. A local school in my community has decided to hold a fundraiser with the goal of the proceeds being sent to the Canadian Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

In troubling times such as this I think it's so important to help children feel empowered and provide an outlet for their feelings of helplessness. I know that as a person living far from Haiti, I still felt as though I had done some immediate good when my family made a small donation to the Canadian Red Cross.

Using real-life moments can help children become agents of social change, as they learn how to help affect their lives and those around them. Younger children may not necessarily be aware of the specifics of what is happening, but may indirectly sense the stress their parents and those around them maybe be feeling in response to situations such as the earthquake in Haiti. Regardless of whether educators decide to engage older students in realtime discussions about world events, many children will be aware of what is happening in the world as they listen to their parents' conversations at home, and have instant access to the television and internet. Helping children deal with intense feelings of helplessness and grief is a huge task for parents and teachers - I have never hesitated as a teacher to ask for help from administration, support staff, and educational counsellors to help me in times such as this.

Please consider donating to the Canadian Red Cross at 1-800-418-1111 and Doctors Without Borders at 1-800-982-7903 to help those in Haiti who need it most right now. Thank you!

Teaching Children to Recognize and Spell their First Name

2010-01-15T12:37:00.003-05:00

One of the first words that children learn to recognize and spell is their first name. There are a number of creative and hands-on ways to help them with this concept:

-display their name everywhere (e.g., use post-its and stick it on the fridge and bathroom mirror, label their belongings and point out their name to them)

-write your child's name in large print and overlay the print with white glue. Encourage your child to decorate the letters of his or her name using sparkles, macaroni, buttons, and other fun, small objects

-use manipulatives (like in the above picture) that have letters on them to help your child sequence and spell his or her name. Use blocks and unifix cubes

-place magnet letters on your fridge and mix up the letters. Encourage your child to sequence the letters in the proper order. This can be done with recipe cards too. Just print one letter on each card and shuffle.

-stamp out your child's name with cookie cutters or letter sponges dipped in paint

-bake letter cookies together

-use playdough to form the letters of your child's name. Roll the dough into skinny sticks so that it can be manipulated into lines and curves

Once your child has mastered his or her name, move onto other short words and names of other family members.

The Benefits of Board Games

2010-01-14T11:04:00.004-05:00

Want to engage your child in meaningful explorations in math and socialization while spending quality time with him or her? Play a board game together! An interesting read from the Washington Post discusses the benefits of playing simple board games (e.g., Candy Land, Snakes and Ladders) with children including:

-children learn self-regulation as they wait their turn

-children learn good sportsmanship - how to be a gracious winner and a graceful loser

-one-to-one correspondence in math is reinforced as children count out the number of moves their player makes

-children practice using simple probability tools like dice and spinners

-children learn to instantly recognize the numeral that corresponds with the number of dots on the face of a dice

-playing face-to-face games with children provides an authentic opportunity for families to engage in conversations about the game and other important events as the conversation gradually steers from the game to other things

-other important ideas like shape and colour recognition often are reinforced through simple childhood games

Leaf Man (Elhert) Science Center

2010-01-14T09:57:00.004-05:00

Curriculum Expectation: Patterning: identify and describe informally the repeating nature of patterns in everyday contexts (e.g., the patterns in nature), using oral expressions and gestures

Learning Opportunity: At this center children will have the opportunity to explore and discuss the various patterns they discover in objects found in nature (e.g., flowers, leaves, animals)

At whole group learning time the teacher will read the story Leaf Man (Ehlert, 2005) in order to introduce the concept of autumn objects (e.g., leaves, acorns, seeds) and evoke a sense of wonder and excitement in students. During the read aloud the teacher can be thinking aloud and pointing out the various aspects of the illustrations, in particular the patterns that can be found in the pictures of natural objects such as leaves and seeds (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003). After the story the teacher can display various pictures of animals (e.g., zebras, peacocks) and encourage children to find patterns in their appearances. The teacher can point out to students that everything explored (e.g., leaves, seeds, fruit like apples, animals) are objects found in nature.

At the science/exploration/tactile center children can be encouraged to become “nature detectives” and invited to continue investigating patterns at the science/exploration/tactile center during center time. Tweezers and magnifying glasses can be used to explore the materials in depth. Children can be invited to dissect materials for further exploration (e.g., the inside of a seed or apple). Sorting plates can be provided so students can group materials. A top-secret ‘science observation journal’ (since students are pretending to be investigators) can be placed at the center along with writing materials so students can record their observations of the materials.

Props:

Circle Time – Leaf Man (Ehlert, 2005), pictures of natural objects and animals (e.g., flowers, seeds, birds and animals, close-ups of snowflakes)

Science/Exploration/Tactile Center – numerous natural objects including rocks, shells, seeds, leaves, real or dried flowers, various nature pictures, faux animal fabric (e.g., zebra print, snakeskin), magnifying glasses, tweezers, sorting plates, blank journal, writing and drawing materials including crayons and pencils

Play: At this center children can role-play that they are detectives on a mission to discover and discuss the patterns they find ‘hiding’ in everyday objects. Using the materials provided they can explore various natural materials, make connections by sorting and classifying the objects, and discussing and recording their observations in a ‘top secret’ observation journal. An adult can help scaffold the learning by participating as the ‘top secret spy’ at the center and using science and math language to help children find challenging and abstract patterns (e.g., not only are there patterns on leaves, but trees also follow a pattern in how they grow, colour, and drop their leaves with each season).

What might children say or do: I believe that children will readily buy into the idea that this center is meant for ‘science investigators’ on a mission who are using top-secret materials. The possibilities of this center allow them to group and classify materials in numerous ways. Kid talk might include: “Look at what I found!” “There are lots of patterns here” “I put these materials together because…” “I wonder why…”

Assessment: This experience can be assessed in a number of ways including: a teacher recording anecdotal notes on what children are saying and doing; using a checklist and recording which students were able to find one or more patterns or who used mathematical language (e.g., word ‘repeats’ when describing the pattern) while engaged in play; analyzing the observation journal to see what children discovered and recorded; asking students in an informal interview to describe what they did at the center and recording it verbatim; asking children to draw and discuss a picture of one pattern they discovered while at the center

Ehlert, L. (2005). Leaf man. New York: Harcourt, Inc.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2003). A guide to effective instruction in reading: Kindergarten to Grade 3. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The kindergarten program (revised). Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

How Much T.V. is Too Much?

2010-01-13T23:13:00.004-05:00

I recently read an interesting report about daycare children being allowed to watch t.v. during the day. Upon reading this, I was immediately outraged. As a mother of a child in daycare, I would be very upset to know that my child spent her day watching t.v. when I was expecting that she be engaged in authentic, math and language-based activities.

My daughter would watch t.v. all day if we let her. As a three-year-old she is fascinated with the magical entertainment that appears on the television screen in the form of Dora, The Backyardigans, and Max and Ruby. She is allowed to watch some t.v. each day, usually when I need to keep her safely occupied like when I'm making dinner or feeding her younger brother.

My question is - how much television is appropriate for preschoolers? Television is a part of our reality and I believe that not allowing children to experience it, and learn how to timetable it into their lives in appropriate ways is irresponsible. Technology is our future and we need to show our children how to use it for the right reasons and within the right contexts. I also sympathize with her. I know after a long day at work sometimes all I want to do is come home and relax with a movie. I'm sure it's no different for her when she's busy at school all day.

Unless she's watching t.v. like the children in the report!

Reading Books Online

2010-01-13T16:35:00.003-05:00

Parents should strive to read at least one book together with their children everyday. When reading the book, discuss the words and illustrations with your child. Reading together is so much more than just verbalizing the printed words for your child. Ask who, what, where, when, how and why questions to help your child delve deeper into the text, enhancing their comprehension of the story and the bigger ideas behind it. Ask questions that help your child make the following connections to literature:

*text to text - comparing the ideas in the text to another familiar story (e.g., This book reminds me of the other book we read about a moon. It was called "Goodnight Moon".)

*text to self - comparing the ideas in the text to one's own life (e.g., This story is about a boy who hates brushing his teeth. That's like me! I didn't like brushing my teeth when I first learned how because the toothbrush tickled my mouth.)

*text to world - comparing the ideas in the text to a bigger, worldly idea (e.g., The children in this book recycle their paper. We should recycle the paper in our house too in order to make the world a cleaner place.)

I stumbled upon an excellent website today that provides hundreds of books for free online. It's called Big Universe. Check it out!

Direct Observation as an Assessment Tool

2010-01-12T14:39:00.004-05:00

I believe that too often educators overemphasis the use of product-driven, developmentally inappropriate tasks like worksheets when assessing young children. A much more effective tool is direct observation.

A description of the strategy/tool: This is the focused observation and recording of what children say and do in a specific activity. Is it considered an essential first step of planning because it provides teachers with a very effective way to quickly and clearly gather information in order to assess student knowledge and progress up to that point.

How it could be used: A variety of methods of gathering information should be used by teachers in order to observe students in action, record information about what the students are saying and doing, and compile the information in a meaningful and systematic way. Three common formats include anecdotal records, observation checklists and rating scales.

When it could be used: It should involve repeated observations of students in a variety of contexts and activities and occur over a long period of time.

Why it could be used: Directly observing students and recording exactly what they say and do helps teachers to recount incidents with children, helping to document the specific language and behaviour associated with the action. Teachers might consider recording their interpretation of the incident along with the direct observation.

A tool I use frequently in the classroom to help organize my direct observation of students in action during lessons, whole and small group organized activities, centers, and independent free choice time is a VENN diagram graphic organizer. At the top of the page I quickly describe the context within which the observations took place (circle, centers, gym class, etc.). I label each whole circle (e.g., the left as independent, the right as not independent) and I record the children’s names and brief information regarding each (what they did, what they said) within the appropriate circle. This way I can still record information specific to each child, but I can also organize it in a systematic way so that by quickly glancing at the page I can see where students fell within the continuum of the VENN diagram.

Websites for further reference:

Detailed description of what direct observation is and how it can also be used in research: http://www.idemployee.id.tue.nl/g.w.m.rauterberg/lecturenotes/UFTdirectobservation.pdf

VENN Diagrams: http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/strategies/venn.php

Tangram Puzzles

2010-01-11T13:15:00.004-05:00

Tangram puzzles, like the one in the picture above, are an excellent way to engage young children in abstract interactions with shapes. After discussing the tangram pieces including the name and colour of the shape and its attributes (e.g., number of sides, number of corners), children can first explore how to create a picture (or design) by matching the shapes to a pre-made picture. In this picture we are using the pieces to make a snake. Once a child has mastered the concept of representing an object with the shapes, encourage him or her to create his or her own pictures and designs. This is a great opportunity to use positional language (e.g., above, below, beside, next to) in an appropriate context. Encourage the exploration through higher-level questioning such as:

-how can you build a?

-what shapes will you use?

-describe the steps you will take to make a

-what does that remind you of?

-can you show me how to?

Once a child has created a design or picture using the pieces, encourage him or her to draw a representation of their creation. Help scribe the words that the child uses when describing the creation and picture. Encourage rich, descriptive language in your conversation! Tangram puzzles are excellent tools for engaging children in concrete, logistical math explorations that move towards the creative and abstract!

Read Aloud Lesson for the Book Snow (Bauer)

2010-01-10T19:49:00.003-05:00

Snow (Bauer, 2003)

Description of Text: This nonfiction book provides step-by-step information for the reader about how snow is formed and what happens to it when it melts in warm weather.

Overall Curriculum Expectations (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006):

Language Arts: Demonstrate understanding and critical awareness of a variety of written materials that are read by and with the teacher; Use reading strategies that are appropriate for beginning readers in order to make sense of a variety of written materials; Communicate in writing, using strategies that are appropriate for beginners

Mathematics: Describe, sort, classify, and compare two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures, and describe the location and movement of objects through investigation

Specific Curriculum Expectations (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006):

Language Arts

14. Respond to a variety of materials read aloud to them

15. Use illustrations to support comprehension of texts that are read by and with the teacher

16. Use prior knowledge to make connections to help them understand a diverse range of materials read by and with the teacher

17. Make predictions regarding an unfamiliar text that is read by and with the teacher, using prior experience, knowledge of familiar texts, and a general knowledge of the world around them

24. Demonstrate an awareness that writing can convey ideas or messages

Mathematics

19. Compose pictures and build designs, shapes, and patterns in two-dimensional shapes, and decompose two-dimensional shapes into smaller shapes using various tools or strategies

Materials Needed: book Snow (Bauer, 2003), a KWL chart, various enlarged pictures of real snowflakes found from a science book or the internet, felt board, felt pattern block pieces, wooden pattern block pieces, camera

Before Reading the teacher prepares children for the reading by setting the stage for understanding of the text (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003).

1. Prior to reading this book to students, the teacher can ask them to close their eyes and think about what they know about snow and what questions might have in order to activate prior knowledge and generate excitement towards the book. Students can then have an opportunity to turn to an elbow partner and share their thoughts. The teacher can ask students to regroup and introduce the KWL chart (headings are K – Know about a topic, W – Want to know about it, and L – learned or still want to learn about a topic). Students can be invited to share what they know about snow (e.g., “It’s white.”, “It’s cold.” “It falls from the sky.”) and this can be recorded using modeled or shared writing in the “K” section of the chart. Teacher talk might include:

• “Close your eyes. Let’s think about the white snow outside our window. What do you know about snow? What have you done with snow before? Where have you seen snow? What would you like to know about snow?”

• “Turn to an elbow partner and share something you know about snow. Share a question you still have about snow.”

• “This is a KWL chart. We’re going to use it to organize our thoughts and ideas about snow. In the “K” column I am going to/you can help write down your ideas about what we already know about snow. Tell me some of the things you and your elbow partners discussed. Let’s write them down here.”

2. The teacher can encourage students to track and read along with the ideas listed in the “K” section of the chart as he or she reads them aloud. Students can then be encouraged to think back to their discussion with an elbow partner and share the questions they might have regarding snow. These can be listed in the “W” section of the KWL chart using modeled or shared writing. Teacher talk might include:

• “In your discussions with elbow partners, I asked you to share questions you had about snow. Think back to what you discussed with your partners. We’re going to record your questions and ideas in the “W” column of our chart.”

3. The teacher can then introduce the book Snow to students and explain that it is a nonfiction book that will provide information about how snow is made. Students can be prompted to reflect upon their prior knowledge and questions (as recorded in the KWL chart) as the information in the book is shared. Teacher talk might include:

• “We are going to read a book called ‘Snow’ by Marion Bauer. This is a nonfiction book, which means it is going to provide us with some interesting information about how snow is formed and what happens to it when it melts.”

• “As I read this book I would like you to be thinking about what information in the story you already know. Some of the questions we have listed on our KWL chart might be answered too!”

During reading the teacher helps children comprehend the text by stopping and thinking aloud about something, by making connections to other texts read by the class, or in order to ask a question about the text (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003).

4. The teacher begins to read the text. Even though this is a nonfiction book, the illustrations used are drawings rather than real pictures. The teacher may wish to point this out so the students understand that drawings, and not necessarily photographs, can still express information about a real thing like snow.

• “What do you notice about the illustrations in this book? What information do they tell you? Does this book/these illustrations remind you of other books we have read? Why?”

5. At the beginning of the book the author discusses outdoor characteristics of winter (e.g., it’s cold, the trees are bare, the grass is brown). A think aloud can be made at this time comparing the book to the current season outside.

• This book reminds me of what is happening outside now that it is winter. Look outside our classroom windows. What signs do you see that it is winter? Think of what is happening in your yards and neighbourhoods. Share with us signs of winter.”

6. As the book is read the cycle of snow formation (clouds are crystals of ice, this ice clings to dust, the dust gets heavy and falls from the clouds) is presented in a very simplified manner. The teacher can paraphrase the pages and draw reference to the illustrations to help students comprehend this complicated cycle.

• “When the air is not so cold, the flakes grow softer and larger and larger. Look at the picture on this page. See how the snowflakes are drawn very large and detailed? This reminds me of when very large raindrops fall from the clouds and get the ground very wet very quickly. It’s the same idea with snowflakes too!”

7. As the story continues detailed descriptions and pictures of individual snowflakes are shown. Students can be encouraged to look at these snowflakes and note the different shapes they observed in each one.

• “Each snowflake has six sides. Look at the illustrations of snowflakes! They are very geometrical! Look at the shapes and designs that are in each one! What shapes do you see?”

• “These snowflakes are symmetrical. That means that if I cut a snowflake in half, one side would match the other side. Look at this large one. If I put a line in the middle (demonstrates using the illustration) this side is the same as the other side.”

8. The teacher can put the book down and further discuss the idea of snowflakes as unique, intricate, and delicate creations. Various enlarged pictures of snowflakes can then be shown and discussed with students. Rich, descriptive language can be used to describe the pictures including words such as geometrical, symmetrical, sparking, shimmering, icy, and any other language that arises and is appropriate to the context of the discussion.

9. The teacher can finish reading the book. At this point the KWL chart can be revisited and the teacher can read the K and W columns to refresh student memory of what they discussed prior to the book. Students can then be lead in a discussion about what they learned or still want to learn after reading the book. Using modeled/shared writing, this information can be added to the chart and reviewed with students. Teacher talk might include:

• “Now that we have finished reading our ‘Snow’ book, think about something interesting and amazing that you learned about snow! Let’s record these ideas in the L column of our KWL chart.”

• “Do you still have questions about snow after reading our book and having a discussion? We can record these questions on our KWL chart too! We can keep these questions in mind as we continue to explore snow in other books, outside on the playground, and at our classroom centers. We’re going to hang our Snow KWL chart in our science area and if we learn anything new or find further answers to our questions, we can continue to add them to the chart.”

After reading the teacher can help students to extend their learning and comprehension through a variety of large, small and independent activities (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003) including:

10. After reading the story the teacher can use felt pattern block pieces (these have been made at the teacher media center) and demonstrate to students using the felt board how geometrical pattern block snowflakes can be made. Some students may have experience putting together the pattern blocks to represent various designs and patterns and this modeling will serve the purpose of scaffolding student learning in this context (Vygotsky, 1978). The teacher can describe step-by-step how the snowflake is made using various shapes in order to create a geometrical, symmetrical snowflake like the ones in the book and pictures. These can be shown to students again as a reference.

11. Students can be invited as a whole group to practice making geometrical snowflakes using the felt pieces and the felt board. These can be discussed and the teacher can promote an exploration of the shapes and encourage snowflakes to be of varying sizes, patterns, and shapes.

12. After students have practices using the felt pieces, the teacher can show them the wooden pattern blocks that are identical to the felt pieces. These pattern blocks will be available at the math center and students can spend time creating snowflakes in a similar manner during center time. The felt board and felt pattern block pieces will also be available to students at this time.

13. At center time the teacher will remain at the math center with the pattern block pieces in order to encourage and challenge students in their explorations creating snowflakes. Pictures can be taken of the snowflakes students create and this information can be used as assessment, posted on a bulletin board near the math center, or placed in a class created book called “Our Geometrical Snowflakes” which can then be circulated among families in the classroom take home “book in a bag” program.

Assessment: The concrete materials (e.g., felt and wooden pattern block pieces) provide a tactile opportunity for children to explore and describe the mathematical problem of designing and creating a snowflake using various shapes that must fit together in a puzzle-like manner (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006). Teachers can support, observe, and assess student progress by questioning them as they are in action at this center using the following prompts:

• Describe what you are doing?

• Tell me how you are going to make your snowflake?

• List the shapes you have included in your snowflake.

• How can you make your snowflake more symmetrical/the same on each side?

• How is your snowflake similar to the ones we saw in the book we read/the pictures we looked at?

• How can you design a snowflake that…

Direct observation of what students are doing and what they are saying can be recorded using open-ended anecdotal notes on a master page that describes the activity for future reference.

A sample of this master page:

Date:____________________

Students were asked to create two-dimensional geometrical snowflakes using pattern blocks and/or felt pattern pieces after reading the book ‘Snow’.

Observations and Samples of Student Talk

Name:

References

Bauer, M. D. (2003). Snow. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2003). A guide to effective instruction in reading: Kindergarten to Grade 3. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The kindergarten program (revised). Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Vygosky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Nurturing Language in Babies and Toddlers

2010-01-07T11:41:00.003-05:00

Good Morning America had an interesting segment this morning regarding how babies and toddlers learn language from their parents. Speaking baby-talk to young children, like when parents make silly noises, can cause delays in how speech and language is learned. The experts suggested the following for improving children's language development:

-pick up on your child's cues. If he or she expresses interest in something like a toy or object, immediately capitalize on this interest by first naming the object and then describing it (e.g., "That's a ball. Balls are round. That ball is red."

-name things in different ways in order to situate the noun in various contexts (e.g., "Those are fish in the tank. The fish swim in the water. Those orange fish move fast!")

-engage in 'motherease' speaking, where the natural rhythms and cadences of language can be expressed by lengthening the words in a sing-song approach to speaking. This differs from speaking in 'baby talk' where gibberish is used as language. (e.g., "Loook at the puuuuppy. Theeee puuuuppy is cute!"

-speak as much as possible to your children, even before they are able to respond. Expose your children to as much oral language as possible. Name things for them when in the grocery store (e.g., Those are cans of food. The broccoli is green.") or during diaper changes (e.g., "Here are your toes! Here is your tummy!")

-young children love looking at human faces. When speaking to your child, try and have your face close to theirs so they can see your expression and how your mouth moves when speaking

-read a variety of stories to your children. Aim for at least one book a day. Reading allows a parent to alter their voice to match situations and characters in the story. Young children love hearing this variation in language.

-enlist the help of older children and family members who can engage your baby or toddler in conversation when you are unable to do so

Experimenting with Marble Runs

2010-01-04T23:41:00.003-05:00

One of the best children's toys (in my opinion) are marble run games, where children are able to design, build, and experiment running marbles through complex systems of tubes. The kit shown in the picture is from Scholar's Choice.

My daughter spent a long time engaged in the planning and building of her system. She examined the differences in pieces (shape, length, embellishments) and chose the ones she felt would best match her visualization of the perfect marble run.

She used appropriate and advanced vocabulary as she discussed what she was doing and how she anticipated it to work. When she tested a certain section of the run and it didn't work as well as she felt it should, she brainstormed and revised her plan.

I believe that young children in early years environments would benefit from having activities like marble runs as part of their science center. Future architects and engineers could be nurtured as they dream up exciting and intricate structures to explore. From experience, I know that the marble run is one of the most popular centers in my kindergarten classroom.

Snowballs Read Aloud Lesson

2010-01-03T13:10:00.002-05:00

Here is a read aloud lesson inspired by the cold wintry weather outside!

Text: Snowballs (Ehlert, 1995)

Description of Text: L. Ehlert provides both fictional and nonfiction information in this text. A child narrates the story and describes creating many snow people and animals (snow mom, snow dad, snow boy, snow girl, snow dog, snow baby, snow cat) by using everyday household items that have been saved by the family. Large, colourful illustrations portray a variety of interesting creations. At the end of the book the author provides a number of informational pages with pictures and labels including “good stuff” to use for snow people building, information on snow, and pictures of real snowmen.

Overall Curriculum Expectations (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006):

Language Arts: Demonstrate understanding and critical awareness of a variety of written materials that are read by and with the teacher; Use reading strategies that are appropriate for beginning readers in order to make sense of a variety of written materials

Specific Curriculum Expectations (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006):

14. Respond to a variety of materials read aloud to them

15. Use illustrations to support comprehension of texts that are read by and with the teacher

16. Use prior knowledge to make connections to help them understand a diverse range of materials read by and with the teacher

17. Make predictions regarding an unfamiliar text that is read by and with the teacher, using prior experience, knowledge of familiar texts, and a general knowledge of the world around them

18. Retell stories in proper sequence that have been read by and with the teacher, using pictures in the book and/or props

Materials Needed: book Snowballs (Ehlert, 1995), sentence strips that have one event from the story written on each with a corresponding picture (e.g., The birds are at the feeders, We saved stuff in a sack, We made a snow dad), pocket chart, pictures of various winter activities (including skiing, sledding, making snow angels, making snow people), chart paper, markers, feedback forms and pictures sent in by families

Before Reading the teacher prepares children for the reading by setting the stage for understanding of the text (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003).

1. Prior to showing children the book, the teacher asks them to think about what activities they like to do in the winter. This sharing time will help activate prior knowledge of winter activities and set the atmosphere for the reading of the book. Teacher talk might include:

• “Let’s think about things we like to do in the winter. I love to go skiing when it’s cold and snowy outside! Many of you have had the chance to talk to your families about your favourite activities in the cold weather. Turn to an elbow partner (think, pair, share) and discuss with them some of your favourite winter activities.”

• “I heard some wonderful, interesting ideas while you were sharing your ideas with one another. Let’s share these together! Describe your favourite winter activities for me!” (this provides a potential opportunity for modeled or shared writing if the teacher decides to record student ideas on a list)

2. After this initial discussion the teacher might show to students a variety of real life pictures from magazines or calendars that depict additional winter time activities (e.g., skating, shoveling snow, tobogganing). Students can be engaged in a discussion of the pictures in order to promote oral language including who is in the pictures, what is happening, why they might be doing what they are doing, and any other discussion prompts. Specific vocabulary can be introduced and used in context (e.g., the toboggan is racing down the hill, the man is hiking through the woods using snowshoes). Teacher talk might include:

• “Look at each of these pictures. Who do you see? Where is this taking place? What are they doing? Why might they be doing that? What does this remind you of? This picture reminds me of the word…”

3. After the picture discussion, the teacher shows students the cover of the book Snowballs (Ehlert, 1995) and reads the title and author/illustrator name. Students can be encouraged to predict what they think the book might be about. If/when students guess ‘making snowmen’ the teacher can connect this idea back to the original discussion of favourite wintertime activities. If building snowmen was previously mentioned, potential text-to-self connections can be made. If this idea was not mentioned, it can be highlighted as another winter activity. Teacher talk might include:

• “Let’s examine the cover of this book. It is called Snowballs. The author, the person who wrote the book, is also the illustrator, the person who created the illustrations. That means that Lois Ehlert wrote the story and created the pictures for Snowballs.”

• “This book is called Snowballs. Look at the picture on the cover. What do you think this book is going to be about? Let’s predict who might be in it and what might happen.”

4. After discussing the cover, the teacher leads students on a ‘picture walk’ of the book by showing students each page of the book in sequence, without reading the words. The illustrations in this book are unique, intricate pieces of artwork that the author has created using a variety of household materials, and this can be highlighted to students. The teacher can direct student attention to these pictures and a quick discussion can be had regarding what students think Snowballs will be about and how the Lois Ehlert created the interesting snow people in the story. Teacher talk might include:

• “Let’s look at each of these pictures. What do you see? Who do you think is in this story and what might it be about?

• “Look at Lois Ehlert’s illustrations. They are made using things you might find in your house! Describe what you see on these pages. What do you find interesting about these illustrations?

During reading the teacher helps children comprehend the text by stopping and thinking aloud about something, by making connections to other texts read by the class, or in order to ask a question about the text (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003).

5. The teacher reads the text, demonstrating various characteristics of a fluent reader including expression, intonation, and enthusiasm. The first few pages portray a winter scene with birds eating seeds. This provides the teacher with an opportunity to expand on the ideas in the text and connect bird feeding to personal experience.

• “Look at the snow falling in this picture. What are the birds doing? Why might they be eating seeds left out for them by a person?”

• “This reminds me of last winter when I hung two bird feeders outside my kitchen window. The birds did not come to eat from them until it became very cold and snowy outside…”

6. As the story continues the narrator describes how the family has been “saving good stuff in a sack”. Students can be prompted to examine the picture in order to see exactly what “good stuff” is, and predict why these items are needed in the story. Students can then be asked to expand on this idea by suggesting additional good stuff that could also be saved for a snowball day.

• “What good stuff has been saved by the people in this story? Why do you think they are saving these things? How might they use these objects?

• “If you were going to save good stuff for a snowball day, what are some things you might like to have in your sack? How would you use your items?”

7. As the story continues, the narrator describes how and what was made using the snow and good stuff in the sack (e.g., a snow dad, snow mom, snow boy, snow girl). As each page is read students can be encouraged to examine the picture and describe how the materials used to create the snow creature clearly depict what it is. The teacher can use think aloud moments to clearly discuss how the objects used specifically portray a snow creation that matches the text.

• “Let’s look at this picture. The story says it’s a ‘snow dad’. How can we tell the snow person is supposed to be a dad? What objects has Lois Ehlert used to show it’s a dad?”

• “This illustration shows a ‘snow mom’. If you were going to create a snow mom, what would you include in your illustration?”

• “Look at the picture of the ‘snow baby’! I can tell it is supposed to be a baby because of the little tiny nose and mouth on its face! It’s easy to tell the snow dog is a dog! It reminds me of a little dog I once saw at the park that had spots all over its body too! Look at the snow dog’s pointed ears! He looks like a happy dog because of his smiling mouth!”

8. Towards the end of the story the text asks readers to think about what “happened when the sun came out.” This provides the teacher with an opportunity to ask students to predict what they think will happen to each of the snow creatures when the sun comes out. As the teacher reads this page, the book can be hidden in his or her lap, face down, so the students can make predictions before seeing the illustrations. Once guesses are made, attention can be drawn to the way Lois Ehlert has portrayed a melting snow person in the illustrations.

• “The story says ‘I guess you know what happened when the sun came out’. What do you think happened? How do you know that? Have you ever experienced this? What happened?”

• “Look at the illustrations. How can you tell the snow dad is shrinking?”

9. As the story concludes there are many rich, descriptive words used such as “shrinking, blob, slush, melting” and metaphorical phrasing such as “dog is a puddle”. Attention can be drawn to these words and phrases in order to build student vocabulary.

• “What do you think the word shrinking/blob/slush/melting means? How do you know? What is happening in the picture? How does the illustration help you understand that word?”

• “The story says ‘dog is a puddle’. What do you think that means?”

After reading the teacher can help students to extend their learning and comprehension through a variety of large, small and independent activities (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003) including:

10. The students can help retell the story with the teacher using sentence strips that have one idea listed on each strip from the story with a corresponding picture (e.g., The birds are at the feeder. We saved good stuff in a sack. We made a snow girl. Snow dad shrunk.) These story strips can put on the floor in the middle of the carpet, with students sitting around in a circle formation. The teacher can help students read each and look at the illustration to help understand what’s on the strips. Students can help retell the story by placing the strips in sequence. These strips can be left out during center time and students can choose to revisit this activity and retell the story again.

Ehlert, L. (1995). Snowballs. San Diego and New York: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2003). A guide to effective instruction in reading: Kindergarten to Grade 3. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The kindergarten program (revised). Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Parent-Child Conversations

2009-12-30T21:34:00.004-05:00

I decided to battle the holiday crowds at the mall today and return a few Christmas gifts that didn't fit. As I was standing in line I happened to overhear a conversation that was occurring immediately behind me. A very well-dressed, made up woman was standing with what I guessed to be her eighteen or nineteen year old daughter. The daughter teased her mother by asking her if she would buy her items for her. I was surprised by the mother's tone of voice as she said "no" with a bitter, sarcastic tone. The line was very slow moving. A few minutes later the daughter initiated conversation with the mother again by stating that she had received more Christmas money than expected, and aside from owing her friend a hundred dollars for an upcoming event, wondered what she should do with the rest. She specifically asked her mother how much money she should save. As I heard this the educator in me thought that this was a great teachable moment for the mother to discuss fiscal responsibility and saving with the daughter. But instead of this, the mother snapped at the daughter by asking her to be quiet because she wanted peace and quiet while they waited in line. The daughter stated that she just wanted to know her mother's opinion and the mother responded by telling the daughter to ask her father for his when they got home. The daughter retorted by saying that the father would tell her not to bother him if she asked for advice. Now I realize as an outsider I am not privy to the context or history of this conversation, but as a bystander I felt quite uncomfortable by the whole thing. I resisted the urge to jump into the conversation or give the girl a hug. How do parents learn to interact with their children? What can bystanders do in situations like this? How long had this toxic mother-daughter relationship existed and was the teenager spoken to like this as a young girl? What impact had this on her relationship with her family and others?

It reminded me of Raffi's notion of "Child Honouring" (see link below) and how children are our greatest gifts...meant to be nurtured and encouraged in their explorations for a safe and healthy tomorrow. I believe that as educators we must extend our interactions with parents beyond the regimented monthly newsletter. We should engage in meaningful conversations about children and their potential. However about how we delicately go about doing this I am not quite sure. Perhaps we can start by modeling loving, involved, interested relationships with our children. As the conversation between the mother and daughter ended, I used the fifteen minutes I waited in line to stroke my baby's cheek as he slept in his stroller.

The Hundred Languages of Children

2009-12-29T22:01:00.001-05:00

The Hundred Languages of Children

L. Malaguzzi

The child is made of one hundred.

The child has a hundred languages,

a hundred hands,

a hundred thoughts,

a hundred ways of thinking, of playing, of speaking.

A hundred, always a hundred,

ways of listening,

of marveling,

of loving,

a hundred joys for singing and understanding,

a hundred worlds to discover,

a hundred worlds to invent,

a hundred worlds to dream.

The child has a hundred languages (and a hundred hundred hundred more),

but they steal ninety nine.

The school and the culture separate the head from the body.

They tell the child:

to think without hands,

do without heads,

to listen and not to speak,

to understand without joy,

to love and to marvel…only at Easter and Christmas.

They tell the child:

to discover the world already there and of the hundred they steal ninety nine.

They tell the child:

that work and play,

reality and fantasy,

science and imagination,

sky and earth,

reason and dream,

are things that do not belong together.

Art Center Idea

2009-12-28T23:17:00.002-05:00

Curriculum Expectation: Geometry and Spatial Sense: build three-dimensional structures using a variety of materials, and begin to recognize the three-dimensional figures that the structure contains (Ministry of Education, 2006)

Learning Opportunity: At this center, children will have the opportunity to build three-dimensional structures (e.g., buildings, machines) using empty food containers.

At whole group learning time the teacher will read the story The Shape of Me and Other Stuff (Seuss, 1973) in order to introduce the concept of different shapes to students. This book introduces the notion that three-dimensional objects (e.g., people, spider webs) are made up of many shapes. After the read-aloud, the teacher can introduce students to specific three-dimensional shapes (e.g., sphere, cube, triangular prism) by displaying and discussing various plastic or wooden 3-D shapes (math manipulatives). A poster with pictures and the names of the shapes can also be shown to students (and later hung near the visual arts or math center). The teacher can first model and then children can practice building structures using the plastic/wooden 3-D shapes as a whole group. This will provide an opportunity for students to experiment with the shapes and brainstorm what they might like to build at the visual art center during center time. The teacher can then model for students how the structures that were created out of math manipulatives can also be made using 3-D materials (e.g., cereal boxes, paper towel rolls) at the visual arts center. Once the structure is made, students can discuss the different shapes that were used to create it. The 3-D shapes and Dr. Seuss book can be left on the carpet or placed in the math area for further student exploration at center time.

Students can spend time building their structures at the visual arts center. A future activity might be for students to paint and decorate their dried and completed structures so that they realistically resemble the intended object. Students can also write about their structures at the language center.

Props:

Circle Time – The Shape of Me and Other Stuff (Seuss, 1973), various three-dimensional plastic or wooden shapes (math manipulatives), poster with pictures and names of various 3-D shapes

Visual Art Center – numerous clean and empty paper packaging that represent 3-D shapes (e.g., food boxes, frozen juice cans, paper towel rolls), glue sticks, white glue in bottles, paint, paint brushes, various materials to be used as decorations for the final structures (e.g., stickers, glitter, dried pasta). Prior to doing this center, a teacher may wish to explain the center and invite families to send in clean materials that can be used by students as collecting and cleaning enough materials for this center can be time consuming for one person. By informing parents about an upcoming project, families will feel connected and informed regarding the classroom centers and activities, will have an understanding of how math experiences are incorporated into play activities, and many enjoy helping out the classroom by sending in materials for student use.

Play: At center time students would have the opportunity to use the wooden/plastic 3-D shapes together to create various structures. An adult (teacher, teacher candidate, volunteer) at the center can engage students in math talk regarding what they are building (e.g., using positional language to support oral language such as “you’re putting the cube above the rectangular prism) and how many of each shape is in the structure (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2003). Students can also be encouraged to draw pictures of what they are building using the math manipulatives.

At the visual art center children can take turns to create their own 3-D structure by gluing various containers together. An adult can be encouraging children in their exploration and heightening the experience through various discussion prompts and questioning (e.g., “That’s a great tower you’re building. How can you make it even taller?” “Wow! I like your boat. How can you make a flagstaff for it?” “ I wonder how I can use the rectangular prism to build a…”)

What might children say or do: I believe that most children will want to visit this center in order to build their own structures. Kid talk might include “I want to build a house like we did at circle.” “Can you help me make a train?” “I like your car…how did you make that?” “Can I make another house?”

Assessment: This experience can be assessed in a number of ways including: a teacher recording anecdotal notes of what children say and do at either the manipulative or visual arts center; having children draw a picture of what was made and describe the structure (how they build it, what shapes were used) and this can be scribed by an adult on the picture; taking a number of photos of students in the process of structure creation (one as they gather the shapes needed, one as the structure is half-complete, one of the student holding the finished structure). Students can be shown the photos and can describe what is happening in each. The photos can be mounted on paper and the adult can record what was said next to them.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The kindergarten program (revised). Toronto:Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Seuss (1973). The shape of me and other stuff. New York: Beginner Books.

Online Books

2009-12-27T21:00:00.002-05:00

A fun way to encourage children to interact with various media is by listening/viewing books online. This way children are exploring text and literacy-based activities while manipulating the Internet and computer. Robert Munsch's website has many books available online for download.

An Excellent New Blog!!!

2009-12-27T20:24:00.003-05:00

I just stumbled upon the blog "Excellence in Early Childhood Education" and it is fabulous! Very similar in philosophy with me. Check it out! I'm going to add it to my blog links!

Homework in Kindergarten?

2009-12-27T19:44:00.001-05:00

I was recently reading an article about whether students should have homework (http://www.windsorstar.com/Students+homework+excessive/2346291/story.html). It was an interesting read with many considerations. Having homework teaches children responsibility for completing work and returning it to school, gives them an incentive for working more diligently during school hours so they don’t have work to take home, provides them with extra language and math practice, and encourages families to become active in and aware of what is happening at school. Those against homework argue that often it is parents and not children who complete it, it is often consuming and performed in place of other activities, it often takes hours after school, it monopolizes family time, and often involved projects are sent home just before major holidays.

The article discussed children in kindergarten being assigned ten minutes of homework each night. It made me reflect on whether this was an appropriate practice for young children. I have heard it argued before that kindergarten children should have homework so that they become accustomed to it as preparation for older grades. I couldn’t disagree more with this.

As a kindergarten teacher I have sent home ‘book in a bag’ programs that encourage families to read a book together and engage in a small activity such as playing a corresponding game or drawing a picture in a communal class book. But these take home bags are only sent home periodically. These activities are not meant to be homework, but rather starting points for encouraging families to engage in literacy-related activities together.

I think that teachers must carefully consider the needs and interests of their students before assigning homework simply because families ask for it, or because it is what they have done in past practice.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

2009-12-27T15:48:00.003-05:00

A few teacher friends of mine and I were having a conversation about kindergarten programming and what 'developmentally appropriate practice' (DAP) really looks like in an early years classroom. We talked about how hard it was for some people to nurture developmentally appropriate practices in children while trying to balance each child's individuality and standards-based curriculum and assessment obligations.

What is DAP?

Children are unique people with individual strengths, experiences, interests and needs who learn best through experiences seeing, hearing, touching, moving, and playing (Berry, 1998; Glasgow Koste, 1995). As such, kindergarten programs should provide multiple and varied opportunities for learning, self-expression, and child-led discovery in all learning domains (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006). A well rounded kindergarten program encourages the intellectual, physical, and social development of all children on a daily basis through thoughtful play, guided by a teacher (Crevola, Dickinson, Trehearne, & Worthy, 2007; Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006). Instruction and activities should be differentiated and provide opportunities for children to experience, practice, refine, and demonstrate their skills and learning in a developmentally appropriate manner. Teacher directed lessons should provide a gradual release of responsibility so that children are able to practice and experiment within the learning opportunities in a supportive environment (Vygotsky, 1978).

Engaging young children in enriching educational activities extends beyond the acquisition of simply literacy and numeracy skills. Kindergarten programs should consider the development of a whole child who is healthy, knowledgeable, motivated, and engaged (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007). Safe and nurturing classrooms encourage and celebrate every aspect of each child’s capacity for learning and provide repeated experiences observing, exploring, experimenting, and sharing within a supportive social context in order to be actively engaged in authentic personal and communal learning.

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). (2007). The learnin compact redefined: A call to action. A report of the commission of the whole child. Retrieved October 11, 2009 from http://www.wholechildeducation.org/resources/Learningcompact7-07.pdf

Berry, D. (1998). Kids and art: Learning through the senses. Principal, 77, 28-34.

Crevola, C., Dickinson, P., Trehearne, M., & Worthy, J. (2007). Kindergarten matters: Building blocks for learning webcast. Retrieved November 26, 2009 from http://curriculum.org/secretariat/january30.shtml

Glasgow Koste, V. (1995). Dramatic play in childhood: Rehearsal for life. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2009). Key messages of the position statement. Retrieved November 26, 2009 from

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/KeyMessages.pdf

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The kindergarten program (revised). Toronto:Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Vygosky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Gift Giving and Art Making

2009-12-24T14:21:00.002-05:00

We just finished up our Christmas shopping. Although we have bought many nice gifts for our family members, I think the most meaningful ones are those that my daughter has made for them. She has spent many hours creating pieces of art (ornaments, pictures, cards) that we will wrap tonight and hand out tomorrow. I know that her grandparents will treasure the gifts because she made them, but I think my daughter will be the one who benefits the most. Art making has provided her with an opportunity to think aloud as she has shaped her ideas into aesthetic representations. She has been able to discuss the process and what each piece has meant to her. And by giving others personal pieces that she has made, she will learn that gift-giving at Christmas time is not just about materialistic, expensive items. I hope this is a holiday tradition that we continue together!

Forcing Bulbs Indoors

2009-12-23T11:16:00.003-05:00

My daughter and I picked up an amaryllis bulb from the local grocery store last week. We planted it yesterday and she has been eagerly checking the bulb every few hours to see if it has grown yet. I love that she is enthusiastic about the experience and anticipating what changes will happen to the bulb as it grows. Before she planted it, we examined it in depth and discussed how it was similar and different to the tulip bulbs she helped me plant back in the spring.

Each January I also encourage the children in my class to explore forcing bulbs indoors as we plant various ones and watch them grow. We keep them in our science area along with chart paper, measuring tapes, magnifying glasses, and markers and the children record the changes in appearance they notice as time passes. I encourage children to observe the bulb carefully, but do not suggest what they should record on the chart paper. In the past children have recorded the length of growth using numerals and drawn pictures to represent the changes as they observe them. The bulb has also become a discussion point in our classroom where children gather and engage in lively conversations with one another.

Interesting Read

2009-12-22T23:20:00.004-05:00

"Studying Young Minds and How to Teach Them" from the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/health/research/21brain.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&hp

More evidence for why young children need to be considered capable learners and should be empowered with information and authentic experiences early in their lives.

(Another argument for why educators should not use worksheets to teach math in the classroom.)

Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Years Education

2009-12-22T17:30:00.002-05:00

I am an Early Years educator who has been inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education. My classroom environment and practice reflect the belief that the children who inhabit it are creative and capable learners who exist as equal and productive members of a larger community, where each person’s contributions and ideas are valued and nurtured.

Our Classroom

Physical Environment

The physical environment of Reggio Emilia classrooms is often referred to as the “third teacher” (Gandini, 1998, p.177) as it is considered just as important and influential in a child’s learning as the family and classroom teacher are. Personal meaning making and knowledge construction occurs when young children are provided multiple opportunities to explore, experiment, and reflect upon their experiences in a safe and supportive educational environment (Bredekamp, 1993).

Curriculum

Children are encouraged to explore and experiment with topics of their interest. Unlike Westernized systems of education where linear curriculums are delivered and followed by each student, Reggio educators are partners in the co-construction of knowledge with children and they exist as co-learners who plan and implement activities and experiences for students based on their personal interests (Bredekamp, 1993). Educators heighten learning for children by asking questions to further their understanding and by engaging directly in the activities alongside the child.

Assessment Strategies

By observing children in action in the classroom, teachers become researchers who document and analyze children’s strengths and needs in the classroom. Educators gather pieces including photos and videos of children in action, transcripts of conversations with children in regards to their learning or in discussion of a piece of work, actual pieces of work, and teacher’s anecdotal notes. These pieces are refered to as ‘pedagogical documentation’ and form a complete picture of a child’s growth and development in the Reggio Emilia program. Similar to student portfolios, pedagogical documentation is an evolving tool of assessment that is continually added to, reflected upon, and shared with families.

Relationships with Families

Parents, considered to be children’s first teachers, are integral to the success of their children and are viewed as partners, collaborators, and advocates in the educational process. Family involvement in a child’s learning is considered vital for academic success, and a strong partnership between home and school is formed through frequent and meaningful communication. Families are encouraged to continue with a child’s explorations and development at home by following Reggio’s philosophies and practices.

Bredekamp, S. (1993). Reflections on Reggio Emilia. Young Children, 49(1). 13-17.

Gandini, L. (1998). Educational and caring spaces. In C. Edwarsds, L. Gandini, & G. Forman, (Eds.). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education - Advanced reflections. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Art Idea

2009-12-20T14:56:00.004-05:00

A great way to engage children in art is by print-making. We like to use various materials around our house like fruits and vegetables. We recently spent time cutting apples in half, exploring what they looked like, and then stamping them using the primary colours of paint.

Arts, not guns

2009-12-20T14:47:00.002-05:00

My three-year-old daughter came home from her Montessori daycare with a beautiful poem from her teacher about how this holiday consider buying your children gifts that inspire peace and creativity instead of violence. I thought this was very meaningful. So often adults fall into the habit of purchasing gendered toys for their children - dolls and kitchen sets for girls and guns and army-type items for boys. This practice has always disturbed me. I have always tried to buy interactive, creative materials for my children that hopefully inspire them to explore the world around them (e.g., books, building sets like blocks and legos, games) but each holiday someone buys them something that I wouldn't buy myself. I like to expose my children to different cultures, experiences, and ideas that show them there are many ways of looking and 'being' in the world.

Art Idea

2009-12-18T15:43:00.006-05:00

A great art experience for young children is to have them paint using the following mixture: 2 parts sugar or salt with 1 part paint. The mixture will have a grainy texture to it, so have children use large brushes and a heavy piece of paper. When the paint dries it will have a sparkly look to it. It's great for this time of year!

Project Love

2009-12-18T11:20:00.004-05:00

Looking for an inexpensive, fun, easy, curriculum-friendly way to engage your students in global issues?

CODE’s Project Love has been inspiring children across Canada for more than 20 years to think globally, act locally and make a difference.

Through Project Love students learn about global issues through curriculum-based activities, fundraising, and making kits of school supplies for students in developing countries. Each Project Love kit includes a pencil, eraser, notebook, ruler and a personal letter from a Canadian student to the kit’s recipient in Malawi or Haiti.

Through Project Love, CODE empowers Canadian children to act as global citizens. Students learn about the challenges their peers in other parts of the world face, and understand that the kits of school supplies they assemble and send can make a real difference.

Project Love also enables students to demonstrate leadership, philanthropy and social justice.

This year, our goal is to send 75,000 Project Love kits to Malawi and Haiti, countries where educational resources are scarce.

Education is the key to reducing poverty. Every single child - every boy and girl in the world - has the right to an education that gives them a real chance in life.

About 500 schools across the country participate in Project Love each year. CODE makes it fun and easy with its downloadable posters, forms, teacher resources, a DVD and an on-line interactive bulletin board where we can share your creative fundraising activities with others. Your ideas may motivate others to get involved.

To register, download our teacher resources, or to learn more about CODE and Project Love, visit: www.codecan.org

Practice of Freedom

2009-12-17T22:30:00.003-05:00

“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” (Shaull, 2003, p.34)

Shaull, R. (2003). Foreword. In P. Freire, Pedagogy of the oppressed: 30^th Anniversary edition. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.

This is one of my favourite quotes. How do you as an early years educator encourage the practice of freedom in your classroom? Children today need to be prepared for life in an unknown future. This requires time for them to engage in long periods of self-directed, authentic, collaborative, and exploratory activities that focus on the process, and not necessarily the product.

Admission Test for Kindergarten

2009-12-17T13:53:00.005-05:00

Ranking children before they even set a foot in the classroom?

This article from the New York Times discusses an admissions test that is currently in use in many areas for acceptance into kindergarten.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/nyregion/21testprep.html?ref=us

I disagree completely with this practice. Too often kindergarten is seen as the beginning step for a life-time of standards-based, quantitative, one-best-way approaches to learning. Children develop at such unique stages and come from such differing backgrounds. How can we possibly measure their "preparedness" for kindergarten with a tool? Why would we even want to? Isn't the individuality (strengths AND needs) of children what makes for rich and diverse experiences in the classroom?

10 Tips to Help Your Child with Reading

2009-12-17T13:47:00.002-05:00

10 Tips to Help Your Child with Reading (Tips for Kindergarten to Grade Three)

(from the Government of Ontario's ABC123 Tips to Help Parents website http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc123/eng/)

This resource describes ten cost-effective, easy to implement ideas for how parents can support and encourage their child’s reading at home. Each idea or activity can be repeated multiple times and suggestions are made for how parents can cheaply buy, make, or borrow the materials needed. Many of the tips presented also encourage the adult to be a reading role-model. The tips include:

Cuddle up and read.
Public libraries today are worlds to explore so try to go regularly.
Make your kitchen part of your “reading zone”.
Words are everywhere – take everyday opportunities to read with your child.
Games can be great learning tools.
Computers are reader friendly too!
Books make great gifts.
Subscribe to a magazine.
Be a reading role model.
Keep books, magazines, and newspapers handy.

Parental Use of the Resource

There are a number of ways parents can utilize this resource:

These tips encourage parents to reflect upon some of the choices they are making in terms of how they spend their time with their children. Reading together or reading alongside one another is a great alternative to t.v. watching and videogame playing during family time.
In today’s times of economic uncertainty, the suggestions offered to parents are easy and effective without much cost. Borrowing literacy materials from the library and requesting books and magazines as gifts do not cost parents much money but the literacy gain for children is monumental.
Adults today are busy and this resource may encourage them to unwind at the end of the day with a book instead of the internet or t.v.
These ideas are active and hands-on, hopefully helping to dispel the idea that language (specifically reading) needs to be taught and practiced by children with rote-learning, pencil and paper tasks such as printing worksheets.

Teacher Support of the Resource

There are a number of ways teachers can support parents with using this website:

These tips could be a great addition to a classroom or school newsletter in order to support student reading at home and introduce families to the Ministry of Education ABC123 website.
These tips could also be specifically provided to families of students who are in need of extra support (e.g., identified or flagged on early literacy classroom tools such as DIBELS or Marie Clay).
Families who ask a teacher for ‘homework’ or extra worksheets in order to help children practice language skills at home could also be referred to this website as it encourages developmentally appropriate reading activities that can be repeated as desired.
Families can be introduced to this website during kindergarten registration, kindergarten open houses, and family literacy nights as a way of encouraging families to actively engage children in a variety of reading activities in preparation for the start of school.

Right to Play

2009-12-17T09:53:00.003-05:00

I was watching t.v. last night and a "Right to Play" commercial came on. I had heard of this organization before and wanted to learn more so I went to their website. http://www.righttoplay.com/site/PageServer

Right to Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world.

(from their website)

Right To Play uses sport and play programs to build local capacity in four strategic areas:

Basic Education and Child Development:
Right To Play’s programs foster the physical, cognitive and social development of children to teach important values and life skills.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention:
Right To Play’s programs are used to educate and mobilize communities around national health and disease prevention priorities, including HIV and AIDS, malaria and immunization.
Conflict Resolution and Peace Education:
Right To Play’s programs are used as tools for teaching conflict resolution and peace building skills. Participation in regular activities encourages and facilitates the healing of communities and the reintegration of children affected by war.
Community Development:
Right To Play works in partnership with local organizations to build sustainable community infrastructure through the engagement of local staff and both local and international volunteers.

Capturing Children's Interest in Winter and Snow

2009-12-16T17:11:00.004-05:00

Children are naturally curious about the world around them. I've noticed that winter and snow are of particular interest to little ones. There are many experiences that can be incorporated into the various classroom centers around snow and winter. Classroom centers can be used to integrate multiple real-life contexts in order to capture children's interests and imaginations and encourage them to engage in cooperative play and exploration.

Consider:

· providing students with squeeze spray bottles of coloured water to use outdoors on a snowy day in order to colour, colour mix, and create designs in the snow

· placing shredded white paper in a large tactile tub (or empty water table) along with plastic trees, rocks, twigs, and various forest animals and encouraging children to dramatize a wintry forest habitat

· placing various combinations of ice cubes coloured as the primary colours (e.g., one blue and one yellow; one blue and one red; one yellow and one red) in separate bowls at the science area and encourage students to make predictions and then observations about what will happen the ice cubes melt

· pictures of winter activities (e.g., skiing, skating, sledding), summer activities (e.g., swimming, skipping rope, jogging), and general anytime activities (e.g., driving a car, eating breakfast) can be placed at the math table and students can be encouraged to sort the pictures into a Venn chart with the headings ‘winter’, ‘summer’, and ‘both’

· incorporating various sizes and shapes of ice (frozen using a variety of containers and molds) and snow from outside into the water table so students can explore, experiment, and create with these materials

· placing a large quantity of outdoor snow in large bins at the science table so students can explore it using large magnifying glasses and observe and record in a communal journal their observations and emerging understandings as it changes state from solid, to liquid, to gas

Bird Feeding

2009-12-16T14:03:00.006-05:00

It's a very cold day here and I've spent some time watching the birds outside of my kitchen window. It's easy to attract them by using a variety of feeders (e.g., platform, tube, cage) and seed (e.g. black oil sunflower, millet, peanuts). One of the most successful nature experiences I've had with kindergarten students has been by hanging a bird feeder directly outside my classroom window. I was working at an urban school where the majority of students lived in apartment buildings and shared dwellings. Most had not experienced feeding birds outdoors at home, so they were intrigued with the experience.

Within a few weeks our feeder had attracted some colourful local birds including house finches, goldfinches, sparrows, blue jays and juncos. Every student seemed interested in watching the feeder, and no one missed the opportunity to see a new bird. The bird watching inspired students to engage in much self-directed learning in language, math, and science. Students wrote about the birds in their journals, tracked the variety and number of birds at the feeder using a tally chart, created an investigation to see if various kinds of seed would attract different birds, painted pictures of the birds at the art area, and engaged in lively conversations with one another at the viewing window.

I was thrilled with the authentic learning I observed that was inspired by the bird watching, but also hopeful that this experience would help nurture a sense of care and responsibility for nature (including birds) in the children.

Class List of Rights and Responsibilities

2009-12-16T00:41:00.004-05:00

Some teachers encourage their students to create a class list of rights and responsibilities in order to promote equality and a sense of ownership and belonging in the classroom. This is often done at the beginning of the school year, however January (at the commencement of school after the winter break) may also be an appropriate time to engage children in this shared writing activity. Similar to the more traditional "classroom rules" lists that I remember from my elementary school experiences, the class list of rights and responsibilities focuses on nurturing a democratic environment. Samples of some of the rights my previous students have crafted include:

-everyone has the right to participate
-everyone has the responsibility to share
-each person has the chance to play
-the classroom belongs to everyone
-we respect each other's differences

-each person has the right to feel safe at school

-we value each other

Once the list of rights and responsibilities is recorded, each student has the option to sign his or her name on it. It is prominently displayed and throughout the year pictures of children in action in the classroom and around the school are posted around it.

Art Idea

2009-12-15T16:52:00.004-05:00

Children's paintings from the easel are often created using big pieces of paper that are difficult to display. Consider encouraging parents to use these paintings (with children's permission first) as holiday wrapping paper. This will save families time and money and be better for the environment. (Receivers of gifts will also appreciate getting a 'one of a kind' wrap job!)

© Dreamstime.com

New Curriculum in Ontario?

2009-12-15T10:00:00.005-05:00

© Dreamstime.com

I read on the Toronto Star a few days ago that the Ministry of Education in Ontario has proposed modifying the existing curriculum in Grade 1 -8 in order to reflect the changing needs of people in society. The current curriculum has over 3000 objectives to be satisfied by the time a child is done elementary school, the vast majority of which are rote-learning, memorization tasks. The government is proposing changing the curriculum so that it has fewer distinct pieces and instead encourages children to think about "the bigger picture" and learn how to critically explore concepts in a more authentic manner. I'm really very excited about this as I believe it is this kind of learning that will prepare children for an unknown future. (Who needs to memorize things anymore? Isn't that what the internet and computers are for?)

Kindergarten in Ontario has its own curriculum document and it will be interesting to see if that will be revised or rewritten when full day learning is totally implemented by 2015. I'm curious to see what the Ministry of Education will advise early years teachers do in the mean time, since some classrooms will be running for a full time program (all day, every day) and others running half time (every other day).

“Today’s students must be prepared unlike any generation before to think critically and analytically while acting with innovation and creativity.” (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). (2007). The learning compact redefined: A call to action. A report of the commission of the whole child. www.wholechildeducation.org

Child Honouring (Raffi)

2009-12-14T22:29:00.005-05:00

My kids and I were listening to our Raffi CDs tonight while cleaning the dinner dishes. Raffi's music has been a staple in my classroom for years. I've always been a fan of the rich sound of the music, the inspirational lyrics, and the mix of original and classic songs on his CDs. My three-year-old has been interested in listening to children's music for a while, so I decided to introduce her to Raffi. She was hooked. Her favourite song, Joshua Giraffe, has been played in our house hundreds of times over the last month.

I have always identified Raffi (Cavoukian) as a children's singer. However I recently learned that he is also an advocate for young children. At a town hall forum to discuss the recent decision in Ontario to move forward with full day learning in kindergarten, Dr. Charles Pascal (a leading researcher for early childhood) praised Raffi's efforts to use his music and status as an entertainer to speak on behalf of children's physical and emotional needs. Raffi calls it "Child Honouring" and describes it as adults honouring children by putting their needs first so that they might have a loving, safe, and healthy future. Raffi is also concerned about environmental issues and having a clean planet for our children's future.

Since learning of Raffi's "Child Honouring" I have made it an effort to visit his website and read through the papers and presentations he has posted. I agree completely. As early childhood educators we advocate for the safety and well-being of all of our students' futures. Each one rightfully deserves the love, time, patience, and health in order to develop according to his or her true potential. The question becomes how can we incorporate Child Honouring more fully into our classrooms and inspire families?

http://www.childhonouring.org/

Science in the Classroom

2009-12-14T12:51:00.007-05:00

I was surfing this morning, trying to find some new blogs to read. I came across "Science and Children's Early Years Blog" and was amazed by the quality of the content. I immediately added it to my list of favourite websites. Quickly scanning the blog, I was able to learn how to engage children in authentic, meaningful whole and small group science activities and experiments. What a valuable resource for a busy kindergarten teacher!

I know from experience how hard it can be to create an engaging science program in an early years environment. Often the materials and resources are not available. Non-fiction books are hard to find in small school libraries. Science can often become a one-sided situation in a classroom, where a teacher is the one reading from science texts, demonstrating experiments for students, and displaying only readily available materials at the science center. I've fallen into this trap too.

If we want to prepare our children for the higher level thinking needed for success in their future lives and careers (who knows what kind of jobs they will have 15+ years from now) then we need to strive to engage our youngest learners in active, authentic, challenging scientific experiences that allow them to question, predict, explore, analyze, and discuss what they have done. Easier said than done, but the information at Science and Children's Early Years Blog will help teachers see how simple, everyday activities like play dough and water play have the potential for being rich scientific activities in the classroom.

http://blogs.nsta.org/EarlyYearsBlog/default.aspx

Christmas Crafts versus Art

2009-12-13T21:11:00.005-05:00

Well, it's the last week of school before the holidays and I'm wondering how many teachers are going to be engaging their students in meaningful art activities this week in order to celebrate the upcoming holidays. I am not a fan of 'crafts' that are done in the kindergarten classroom --- activities that are teacher created and modeled where each child makes the same piece of work as another. I know this type of activity is a popular one this time of year, especially when parents like receiving cutesy things from school. I believe it's more meaningful for children to be engaging in art activities that allow them free range in exploration and expression. This way they can discuss their work with others. Some 'holiday' art you might consider doing this week include:

-putting red, white and green paint at the art easel with sparkles in it
-mixing 1 part paint to 2 parts sugar or salt at the easel (it'll create a sparkly texture when dry)
-having an assorted mix of holidays card fronts, ribbon, and wrapping paper (and other holiday goodies) for children to use in whatever way they wish
-having children stamp with holiday cookie cutters and paint
-providing various colours of clay or playdough available so children can sculpt a gift for their families

Hello world!

2009-12-12T19:49:00.001-05:00

Well, here it is! After years of thinking about, writing, and publishing in paper format I've decided to start a blog about my passion...kindergarten! I think that it is probably one of the most important grades (and experiences) that young children will ever have. I hope that this blog will help inspire many of you to reflect upon your practice and evolve your program in order to encourage your students to explore, experiment, and reflect upon their experiences in the classroom. I believe in creating an early years classroom that encourages democratic and aesthetic exploration among young children. One of my favourite things to write about is how to create an equal, democratic early years environment. I believe in embodying Paulo Freire's problem-posing concept of education so that children are encouraged to create personal and collective understandings through active engagement with the world (inside and outside) around them.