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?
Errata- Over the past several months I have written about Sid the Science Guy only to discover last week that it is actually Sid the Science Kid! I apologize to all of Sid’s fans out there. This is a nice game that fits in perfectly with the April’s Thursday Theme of Weather. Sid the Science […]
Last week I wrote about Goal 8 – Identify and describe common attributes, patterns, and relationships in objects. This week I am going to explore Learning Standard B, which only has one Benchmark, so it is fairly straightforward. Learning Standard B – Describe and document patterns using symbols. Benchmark 8.B.ECa – With adult assistance, represent […]
This kit is a really nice way to support patterning and sequencing in your program. I think young children might find it interesting, since it has small spaces that can be open and closed, and you can change up the patterns by inserting a different card. I was thinking it would be nice to create […]
Recently, an article was making its way around the internet called “What if Everybody Understood Child Development”. I read this article with a bit of skepticism as I have found that even amongst practitioners, deep and meaningful understandings of child development is a lifelong quest. I am continually considering how my understandings of development are […]
Call it a coincidence, or call it karma, but this morning’s post about the “Relativity in the Weather” was written before this most recent bout of weather that Chicago and the surrounding area is enjoying. If I were the weather person today, I would be using words like “the rainiest”, “the darkest”, “the yuckiest”, the […]
Sometimes it is easier to think about the weather in relative terms, since temperature may be an ambiguous concept for children. However, if asked in the right way, children might be able tell you if today is sunnier than yesterday was, or if it is colder. This is a great place for adults to use […]