What does 50 years mean to you? I have only been alive for 47 years and I have little to no memory of the first 5- so let’s say I have about 42 years of memory. I have known, been aware of, studied, explored and celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech […]
Peg boards are cool. There are all sorts, but I really like the open-ended variety shown below. They usually come with an assortment of colors and each peg is designed to fit into the holes on the boards as well as into each other. That way children can fill the holes or stack the pegs […]
Lori is a very old friend of mine from high school. We went to college together where she studied to become a teacher. I knew I wanted her to complete the questionnaire because she was always very dedicated to education although she chose to specialize in English/Writing and working with teenagers (which I could NEVER […]
There is so much teacher bashing out there, I thought I should share this post about how generous teachers are. Anecdotally, I have know this for years. I know teachers who pay for children to attend field trips. I know teachers who buy clothes so everyone has a cubby with an extra set. I know […]
This article popped up on my Facebook page yesterday (Isn’t it amazing that Facebook and other like sites, know what you do, what you are interested in, and what you will click on?). 25 Books to Read Aloud to Toddlers It is a pretty good list. Some might say a “Must-Have” list of mostly classics […]
Last week we took a look at hopscotch as a fun summer gross-motor activity that also incorporates several math concepts. Today, I thought we could simply look at “chalk” as a very inexpensive tool that teachers can use to promote skills in every developmental domain. Sidewalk chalk can be bought for next to nothing. I […]
This is a great article by Constance Kamii about what children learn from playing “The Domino Effect”. That is the game they play when they line up dominoes so that pushing the first domino over creates the domino effect wherein all of the others fall over as a result. We know that children find this […]
The first chapter of Constance Kamii’s book Number in Preschool and Kindergarten outlines Piaget’s theory of knowledge, specifically logico-mathematical knowledge. Piaget theorized that there are three specific types of knowledge and all learning can be put into one of these three categories. First, there is social knowledge – knowing that Saturday and Sunday are the […]
The Bear Family Counters are colorful manipulatives that usually come in different colors, sizes and weights. They come in a variety of shapes as well. I’ve seen dinosaurs and various other animals….they can all be used in the same ways. Children will use these bears in more ways than you can imagine. Some will play […]
I have known Kate for several years, first as a graduate student completing her teaching practicum at our college and then as a colleague when she became a full-time faculty member at another of the City Colleges. I have watched her grow into her new role as a wife and a mother, while dedicating herself […]