I always try to get downstairs on Sunday mornings so I can read the paper, while I watch CBS Sunday Morning with a hot cup of coffee, pugs at my feet, and a completely quiet house. Yesterday, Mo Rocca presented a segment on the new Museum of Mathematics in New York City. Oh, how I […]
Puzzles are such a great tool/toy/manipulatve for young children. I love to see shelves filled with a huge variety of puzzles, organized so children can access them and find that all of the pieces are there. Since the pieces of puzzles need to be manipulated in order to fit into the right spot, they really […]
We have looked at all sorts of ways to “Focus on Families” over the past 8 months- but I haven’t really addressed the special concerns you might have in working with diverse families. During the month of March (and perhaps into April) I want to look at strategies for working with diverse families. Today, I […]
Recently, I visited 2 Chicago Public Schools, one on the north side and one near Wicker Park and I have got to say, Math is alive and well in CPS. When I arrived at Mr. G’s 4th grade classroom, the children were on the edge of their seats. They were clearly divided into 3 equal […]
During the month of March, I want to take a look at the new Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards on Tuesday Teacher Talks. So…. Here they are. Take a look and see what you think. We will be focusing on the Mathematical Standards, so look deeply there.
This morning, when I was walking my pugs, I passed by Timeless Toys, our local toy store. There in the window were several sets of Magformers- a new take on MagnaTiles (maybe not so new, but definitely new to me). I knew it was only a matter of time before the fabulousness of MagnaTiles would […]
Block play is one of those areas of the early childhood environment that is teeming with learning in every developmental domain. Children are drawn to the large blocks as a place to play independently, in a parallel way, or cooperatively. The children’s natural curiosity in the block area involves mathematical thinking, which is easily observable […]
Many months ago, we looked at bear family counters as a basic manipulative for an early childhood program. Today, I wanted to look at animal family counters as a manipulative that supports children as they explore attributes. Sorting items using one attribute as the key to groupings can be quite challenging for young children, but […]
A dear friend of mine recently recommended a book, Daring Greatly by Dr. Brene Brown. I ran out and bought a copy as I am always looking for new ideas about parenting and living life to the fullest. I don’t always agree with everything I read, but I take bits and pieces and small pearls […]
Thanks to reader Verinda, this week’s Focus on Families is on creating a “Book Club”. She posted this, I love books and my childcare children love them too. I Have a book club where every month it is mandatory for my clients to buy the book of the month from the scholastic book list I […]