Both of my boys have left for college and I am in a state of shock. Looking for ways to fill my heretofore parenting time, I decided to clean and tidy my house. I bought the book the life-changing magic of tidying up, by Marie Kondo as I thought this would be the motivation needed […]
In honor of Labor Day 2015, I thought a few childcare labor statistics would make a good post – as well as a good reminder that this work is a labor of passion and commitment National Employment (# of childcare workers) * 582, 970 Illinois Employment (# of childcare workers) * 14,340 National Mean Hourly […]
Well the Crayola Company does. Crayola has developed a marker recycling program that supports programs that are “going green.” The program was developed for K-12 programs, but I guarantee that they will take them from preschools as well. According to the website, simply gather your old, used markers and count them, pack them and send […]
There are few manipulatives out there that are as interesting and beautiful as a wooden set of Cuisenaire® Rods. Developed 75 years ago by Belgian teacher Georges Cuisenaire these “rods” come in beautiful colors in varying lengths. The units are color-coded which provides additional visual cues for children. If you look carefully at the above […]
When I think about they ways I would do things now, as opposed to 20 years ago when I was a teacher, I could kick my former self for not knowing more. It has taken years and years of observations and teaching about best practices to feel like I would have a handle on the […]
I know I am dating myself here, but back in the day, the really cool boys hung big, old fuzzy dice from their rear view mirror. You just knew that anyone who was cool enough to hang giant, pink or yellow fuzzy dice in their cars for everyone to see, must be someone really special. Fast […]
I think that every early childhood person is a fan of Eric Carle’s books. I know that I used them all of the time when I was a teacher and even more as a mom. My kids loved them! We had the board books when they were infants and toddlers and then we graduated to […]
Last week, when I wrote about math opportunities in everyday occurrences, I was reminded of a classroom teacher I observed about a year ago. She was busy playing with one child at a long table. They had 2 large foam die and were taking turns tossing them across the table. Each time they tossed the […]
How do we get parents involved in what we do? How do we encourage them to partake in their children’s care and education? Most parents have their children in childcare because they need childcare. They need to know that they can drop their children off in a safe and nurturing place while they go about […]
Even though many of our readers do not live in the State of Illinois, today’s post focuses on those of you who do. We are in the middle of several critical, colliding crisis in the city of Chicago as well and it is time for all of us to sit up and GET LOUD! 1. The […]