ONLINE YARD SALE!!

We are holding an online yard sale to help fund our way to the amazing annual Good Stuff For Kids Conference at the end of the month!  Please support us by shopping at our sale, contributing items to the sale, or making a donation to help cover our cost!  

You can view photos of our items for sale in an album on Facebook here!

THANKS!!

p.s.  If you can make a way to join us at the conference, please do!  We highly recommend it to ANYONE who has ANYTHING to do with caring for children in any capacity!

Can we step back and allow our children to think for themselves?

Every parent starts from a point of wanting the best for their child.  The problem is, reasoning often stops there.  Typically parents don't step back from that starting point and ask themselves, "If I want the best for my child, what truly IS the best thing?"

We just assume that if we want our child to be good at something, we just need to help them do more of that thing.  For example, if we want to have a literary genius on our hands, we need to get them started reading early in life...forcing academics.  We believe that this will give our child a head-start in literacy.  

WRONG!

Reality is...research has shown that this is just simply not how our brains function.  Our brains function optimally by learning to problem solve and think creatively ON THEIR OWN...a practice best learned through real-life exploration and experience.

I read a piece this morning that was absolutely EXCELLENT!  It's a Brittish article that discusses many areas in which we desire success for our children. It elaborates on how things often backfire in our effort to support our children in path toward success in those areas.

Please, please read

Slow parenting part three: let babies learn to think for themselves

Art- No Models Please!

As you may already know, we do not believe in creating models for children.  Today, a local colleague shared a great post on why it's important for us to allow children to use their OWN creativity in art.  Please read this great piece Why Not Draw For a Child by Janet Lansbury.

Lunch Ideas!

In our program, we provide snacks comprised of a fruit of vegetable along with a 100% whole wheat bread that we've baked ourselves (e.g. blueberry muffins, cheese bread, biscuits, applesauce bread).  However, we require that parents pack a lunch for their children.  The reasons for this are simple:

-we simply can not afford to feed 16 children as well/healthful as what the parents are able to provide

-we do not want our teachers' energy/attention/time to be spent on preparing the food...we want them to be able to focus on the children

Sometimes I receive comments from parents who feel stuck in a rut with packing lunches.  So, when I ran across the ideas (thanks to pinterest), I simply had to share!

Easy Lunchboxes Photo Gallery

School Lunch Roundup

Another Lunch

Play-based Education

I think sometimes we are fooled into thinking that play-based education is new, strange, and understood by few.

Teacher Tom has done it again, showing us how the concept of learning through play is something that many have valued throughout the ages in his post The Seriousness of Play!

Ask Your Child, "How Was That?"

Our responses to the conversation our children bring can truly provide them the space and direction to be critically thinking humans or limit them to follow responses they've been taught.  I'd prefer the former!  I'd rather our children gain the confidence in their own ability to handle social interactions than just follow an adult's instruction.

Today I read a post that walks us through how we can support our children conversationally in evaluating their own social experiences. Blogger "Parenting From Scratch" writes a post To Help Kids Process Emotions, Ask, "How Was That?".  Please read it.

Thanks Michelle, at Busy Bee Preschool for sharing this today!

Alternatives to empty praise

This morning I was catching up on some readings I've been saving for a while.  I was absolutely THRILLED to read Teacher Tom's blog post that gave clear, specific alternatives of ways we can respond to children rather than the rather instinctive "good job".  

This is KEY for our families, as we have explained that we avoid such praise and ask that our parents do as well.  Please read his post Seven Things To Say Instead of "Good Job!"

On Potty Training

A major topic of concern for many parents is potty training.  I try to encourage parents that potty training is something we need to handle with each child and each family individually.  

One of the trends that seems to have been growing and I am getting more and more questions about lately is potty training at the infant/toddler age.  I am very cautious of this.  I agree that children are plenty intelligent.  I agree that many children are "capable".  My concern is that not every child is READY! :)

I've read a great piece in Huffington Post entitled A Doctor Responds: Don't Potty Train Your Baby.  It's a good read...check it out!

On the role of a teacher

"I have this" is another lovely blog post written by Teacher Tom. 

I agree with him on his beliefs on what the definition of a teacher is.  Our role is truly to facilitate...not direct.  Our job is not to show how things are done, but rather to provide experiences that allow children to determine how to do things.

Like Teacher Tom said, when children leave our program they "head off into a world of schools in which teachers are mandated to teach them a certain core curriculum of specific, standardized knowledge and skills organized grade-by-grade, year-by-year, much of which is conveyed by direct instruction." I wish it weren't so...I wish they could all be sent off to experience-based settings. However, I believe that we are sending very strong, capable children into those direct-approach settings because of the foundation we provide them: the foundation of confidence in their own ability to explore and problem solve.

Therefore,  I wish even more that ALL children were given such a foundation!  What a solid base they could have on which to grow and learn throughout their lives!

Play Outdoors

A lovely little blog I enjoy following posted this great little piece "Outdoor Play Is Not a Waste of Time."

You will not find pink princess toys here!

I just read this article, and must say that I can not agree more.  Needless to say, the toys and materials you will find in our school are quite gender neutral and support femenine and masculine play.  No pink and princessey here! 

If you are parent to a little girl, read the article.

If you KNOW someone who is a little girl, read the article!

If you know someone who WAS a little girl, read the article!

Here is another link to the article, in case you have missed the first link I gave at the top!

 I have not yet read Peggy Orenstein's book, but I am going to need to do so!  You can find more about Peggy here.

Beyond sink or float

The children in our school explore the properties of water and the properties of "things" in the water frequently.  

They've moved quite a bit beyond evaluating whether things will "sink or float".  

However, one day, as they were trying to find something to carry their animals and vehicles as a boat, I observed a first in our school.  After some discussion and some experimentation with various blocks that float, they decided to try...

...paper!

And it worked...

...briefly...

...but not for long!

So, they crumpled up the paper...

After trying one more time, they moved on!  I wonder when I will observe this experiment repeated.

Little Foot Stamps

I think these stamp pads are absolutely intended for the use of little feet in stamping!

Solitary play

Sometimes we, as adults, become concerned when our children are not playing with other children.  It's just not right.  Children need and deserve the time and space to possess and explore things in a space on their own, free of social interaction and interruption.

Sometimes, it's just nice to be able to occupy the entire train track and all of the trains in solitude!

Sometimes you just need to curl up with a good book (or a few)

Dot Painting (with liquid water color)

What Should a Four Year Old Know?

A friend and educator posted a link to this blog post this evening.

To the blogger...THANK YOU!

The holidays from the perspective of a preschooler

One of our staff's favorite educators is Dan Hodgins.  He provides excellent training on various aspects of working with children in early childhood.  He encourages adults to take a step back and evaluate our practices, formulating appropriate methods based on the early childhood developmental stages and processes.  Often his trainings require some effort on the adult's behalf to truly think outside the limitations we have learned and chosen to put ourselves in.  We have to consioiusly work at modifying our past habits and thought-processes.

As I've said before, I highly recommend his book Boys: Changing the Classroom, Not the Child to ANYONE (teachers and parents alike).  Something I love just as dearly as his book is the fact that Dan also puts out a newsletter each month.  I absolutely CHERISH the few minutes it takes each month to read his newsletter!  It serves as a monthly reminder of why I do what I do.

I'm posting below his December newsletter.  This is probably a bit on the late side, as you've likely all done all your holidy shopping (I truly haven't done any!), but let it serve as a reminder to you of what this crazy season can be like for a preschooler.  Please step back and view the holidays from their precious perspective!

Happy Holidays!

Dinosaur castle

Aparently this is where the dinosaurs live!

Well, we dropped a bowl of little bitty things..

So, we grabbed some tongs...

and turned it into an activity...

...an activity that lasted over 45 minutes!  Spontaneous curriculum!