As Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays are coming up right around the corner, food and food preparation become the center of our homes and the focus of our kitchens. Years ago I saw a film about child development (black and white, reel to reel) and in it was a teacher who said something that […]
Finding a balance between one’s work life, one’s home life, one’s role as a parent, one’s role as a partner, and one’s role as a family member is really hard to do even in the absolute best circumstances. Parents of young children often find that they are compromising on everything that is important to them, […]
I don’t know why but I love the word “cornucopia.” According to Merriam-Webster’s on-line dictionary, a cornucopia is, 1. a container that is shaped like a horn and is full of fruits and flowers 2. a great amount or source of something 3. an inexhaustible store: abundance When I hear the word, I think of Thanksgiving […]
Kamii argues that since logic-mathematical knowledge is not socially constructed but internally constructed, children can construct number understanding via ongoing and frequent exchanges with the other children. Rather than spending your time reinforcing correct answers and correcting wrong answers, time is better spent allowing children to exchange ideas with their peers so they can discover […]
Sometimes manipulatives are fun to make and use with children. There are several great ways to make balances as you explore this concept with children. Once kids have been exposed to the Balance Scale as a tool to explore weight, you can see if they want to make their own balances out of simple materials […]
I know you have been hearing a lot about “The Common Core”, or “the Core” if you are in the biz of education. Here is a harrowing report about the Core and what it means for Early Childhood. Please read.
Balances are weighing machines- machines that weigh objects. Children can explore all sorts of “weighing machines” in the early childhood classroom if we simply make those machines available to them. I’ve already written about using a classroom balance that encourages children to weigh objects “relatively” to a standard weight or “relatively” to another object. Through […]
Dropping off a 6 week old baby at child care is harrowing, even for the most pragmatic of parents. It may be a bit easier at 12 weeks, and again at 18 weeks, but no matter when it happens putting a baby in outside-of-the-home-or-family child care is hard. How do you ease this transition […]
I was looking for some great stuff about weighing and balancing (measurement) for a class I teach about math and science for young children, and I came across a book from my mother-in-law’s collection called Weighing and Balancing. Written in 1970 and illustrated by Aliki (Classic!) it was written as a part of a series […]
As I was searching for one or two web sites that have some “balancing” games for young children, my searches kept leading me to gross motor activities. Duh! Of course they did. It makes perfect sense that “balance” and “young children” and “games” leads to “balance beams,” “running games,” and “big, outdoor play.” It got […]