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Blog Archive

Classroom Jobs: The Snack Helper

posted by Alison Hirsch Balis There are many reasons to provide “jobs” for children in the preschool setting. A job shows the importance of the child’s contribution to the group and his/her affect on the social fabric that is the class community; it provides practice in children’s developing social skills, such as speaking in front […]

Order in the Classroom

by Alison Balis Hirsch or·der ˈôrdər/ noun: the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method an authoritative command, direction or instruction  verb: to put into a methodical, systematic arrangement to bring about order One of the first learning experiences I recall as […]

The Importance of Daily Routines

Following a daily routine at school provides stability for children, allowing them to feel more secure in the classroom setting. The schedule should not be rigid; in fact, the ideal schedule is flexible and adapts to both the needs and interests of the kids, allowing for spontaneity within the structure of the school day. A […]

News from Early Math Counts

Attention! Attention!  Early Math Counts Readers! I am pleased to tell you that our blog is changing course a bit.  Over the past 4 years I have been blogging for Early Math Counts and have enjoyed (almost) every minute of it.  After over 700 posts we all thought it might be nice for a change. […]

Baby Brains and Math- Chanting and Singing

Did you know that babies respond more to the “rhythm” of speech than the words themselves?  It is a natural impulse to speak to babies with a higher-pitched-than-normal voice, a sing-song lilting quality to the words, and a repetition that is particular to these interactions.  Throughout my career, I have had students and new parents […]

Baby Brains and Math- The Concept of More

When our first child was born, my husband was studying special education at the University of Illinois-Chicago.  He became very interested in using sign language to communicate with non-verbal students so he began studying it.  When Noah came along, Larry was convinced that we could communicate better with him if we gave him “language” before […]

The 4th of July

Monday is the anniversary of the birthday of our country.  Do you have big plans?  Are you going to finally get some much-deserved rest?  I will spend the day with every television we own on, at full volume, to help drown out the noise of the fireworks in our neighborhood.  They scare my dogs to pieces. […]