Demonstrate an understanding of location and ordinal position, using appropriate vocabulary. Benchmarks 9.B.ECa Show understanding of location and ordinal position 9.B.ECb Use appropriate vocabulary for identifying location and ordinal position. Example Performance Descriptors Respond appropriately to request to place an object somewhere in space in relation to other objects (i.e., put doll in front of […]
Most people who choose a career working with young children do so because they love young children. Spending each and every day with a population who makes us smile and laugh, who encourages us to play and get dirty, and who loves unequivocally and with total abandon, is at the heart of why we do […]
I took this picture at the Chicago Children’s Museum in the new Tinkering Lab. It is an incredible space filled with all sorts of materials that will stimulate children’s curiosity and creativity. Take a look at their website and a description of this magnificent new area of the museum. You should consider a field trip […]
You guessed it. This month’s theme is FLOWERS. There is so much mathematical exploration that we can investigate while studying flowers that I am tempted to make this a two-monther! At this time of the year, we are all itching to get outside. It feels like we’ve been cooped up inside for years, not months. […]
Uphill battles. I have many. For some reason this year has presented me with one that is driving me crazy. Why do people who work with children still call what we do “daycare”? We do not care for the day- we care for the child. Now I understand that people who are not in the […]
I thought I would take a departure from introducing websites for children on Wednesdays for a while and introduce you to Blogs that I love. Over the several weeks, I am going to explore the Blogosphere in an effort to bring you more wonderful blogs that explore the world of children, childcare, and math. So, […]
I have almost completely unpacked the new Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards. This week and next we will explore Goal 9 and in two weeks Goal 10! Phew, that took a LOT longer than I expected and we only covered the Math section. Aren’t you glad that this isn’t the “Everything At Home” blog? […]
The hardest conversations teachers must have are those about children with whom we have concerns. But no matter how hard the conversations are for you as a teacher, they are a million times harder for the parents who have to hear it. Conversations about concerns should only happen once you have established a positive and […]
At the end of each month, it is pretty interesting for children to graph the weather in order to mathematically determine the frequency patterns of the previous month’s weather. If you talk about the weather each day, you probably keep track of it, in some small way. Many teachers introduce tally marks (we will talk […]
I was the directory of a preschool that did not force sharing on its children. We believed (and I still do) that sharing is not developmentally appropriate for the egocentric child. This article from ABC News agree with me. What do you think?