As the weather turns colder and outdoor time becomes shorter, indoor gross motor time becomes a much more important part of the early childhood curriculum. If you are lucky enough to have a large indoor space that allows for running and climbing, jumping and riding, then count yourself among the lucky. Children (all children, not just […]
Sometimes I dread meetings. Honestly, I dread most meetings but this past week I attended the annual Board Meeting for the Chicago Children’s Museum (since I am on the Advisory Board of the Tinkering Lab and we were invited to the BIG meeting) and it was exceptionally fun and entertaining. Once the voting was over and […]
This blog focuses solely on the business of child care. Tom writes about tax preparation, hiring and firing, the law, advocacy, and a host of other topics that are applicable to our work. What I love about this Blog is that he will write about things that you are thinking about. He responds to all posted questions with […]
This article from Quartz.com, describes a method of math learning from Singapore that encourages “productive failure.” Children are presented with problems and are then asked to try to solve them without direct instruction or the help of their teachers. As they fail, they learn from their mistakes and try again. Although the article focuses on […]
Last year I posted a list of 10 Things to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving – the Early Childhood Edition so I challenged myself to think of 10 new things to be thankful for this year. That makes 20 things to focus on as we move into this holiday season. 10. Everyday small, chubby, soft […]
Did you know that there is an excellent resource on the PBS website specifically designed for teachers of young children? You can choose the age group you work with and then choose from a drop-down list to see specific areas you want to investigate further. The categories are: The Arts, Health and Fitness, Math, Reading […]
At the Museum of Math there is an exhibit about tessellations. Do you know what a tessellation is? A tessellation is created when a plane is covered by repeating shapes that leave no gaps or overlays. Tile floors are tessellations as are honeycombs. You can tessellate with very simple shapes (rectangles and triangles) as well […]
What are your earliest memories? Not the memories you think you remember but actual memories? Sometimes, we think we remember people or events because we have heard the stories of those happenings throughout our lives. But they are actually false memories, fleshed out with details by older relatives and then supported with photographs. Most of […]
Last month, I visited my son in New York City for his fall break from school. The only thing on our agenda was to visit the Museum of Math. You may remember that I wrote about this museum when it first opened after I saw a segment about it on a news program. I was very […]
I am a big fan of PBS. I watch it, my husband watches it and my children watched a whole lot of it when they were little. Some of our favorites were “Arthur”, “Caillou”, and “Clifford: The Big Red Dog”. Did you know that PBS also hosts a great web site chock full of interactive […]