9.  We don’t have to wear pantyhose, ever. 

8.  Our work includes snuggling.

7.  We don’t have to worry about the Common Core.

6.  We know what “ooblek” is even if our smartest friends don’t.

5.  Our workday includes reveling in the little things with childlike wonder and excitement.

4.  No sitting at a desk unless it is pretend.

3.  Nobody cares if you have paint on your sweater or a sticker on your forehead.

2.  Sometimes we mistakenly get called “Mommy” or “Daddy” and it gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. 

and… the #1 reason Early Childhood Teachers are Thankful This Thanksgiving is:

We get to spend each and every day with the best kind of people- the little kind.

10.  Everyday small, chubby, soft hands reach for ours. 

9.  Nobody cares if we can’t carry a tune when we sing, and we get to sing everyday.

8.  At the end of the day when we empty our pockets, we often find crayon drawings created just for us. 

7.  Our work is never boring.

6. Nobody would notice if we wore our pajamas to work.

5.  When we put our music libraries on shuffle, an Ella Jenkins song might come on.

4.  Finger paint

3.  There is no such thing as “sitting all day.”

2.  The people we work with smell like fresh bread, talcum powder, and cinnamon sugar.

1.  Our work is monumentally rewarding.

10.  Set the Table– Setting the table continues to be a great way for children to explore one-to-one correspondence.  Putting one plate, one napkin, one fork, one knife, and one spoon in front of each chair is a complicated task for the very young child but mixed-as can help one another.  Don’t expect it to look perfect.  That is not the point.

9.  Make Name Place Cards– Give your children small note cards and while you are basting, break out the markers or crayons and have them create place cards with each guest’s name on it.  You may have to spell out the names, but that is why they will be so charming.  They can then go and put them around the table-one place card per chair.

8.  Create the Decorations– While the markers are still out, find some construction paper and let the kids go at it.  They can draw turkeys or pumpkins, or whatever they wish.  It is the homemade(ness) that will draw the oohs and aahs of your guests.

7.  Be the Official Tasters– Allow the children to be the official tasters of all of the Thanksgiving fare.  Encourage them to tell you what they think.  They are nothing, if not honest.

6.  Provide the Entertainment -Have the children prepare some songs to sing for the guests.  You can show them how most of the songs they know can be adapted to a Thanksgiving theme like “10 Little Turkeys Jumping on the Bed.”

5.  Go For a Walk– Take a break from the kitchen and take a walk around the block.  Collect some dried leaves and bring them home to sprinkle around the table for an air of authenticity.

4.  Create Menu Cards-Fine dining establishments provide their dining guests with a list of the food that will be served.  You can have the children either write these, or you can print them up and they can draw pictures of the foods on them.

3.  Make a Thankful Tree– Cut out different leaf shapes and tie strings to them.  The children can draw pictures of they things they are thankful for and then tie them to household plant.  As guest arrive, they, too can write what they are thankful for and tie them to the Thankful Tree.

2.  Watch the Parade– Curl up on the couch and watch the parade.  Children really enjoy this activity and they will have memories of it throughout their lives.

1.  Give Thanks– Since Thanksgiving is about thanks and gratitude, encourage your children to list the things they are thankful for.  Be sure to let them know how thankful you are for having them in your life.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE

We don’t include children because they are competent.

Children become competent because we include them.

 

This was said in reference to completing a food experience with young children. The children were baking something that required eggs.  The film shows many children trying to break eggs without getting the shells in the bowl.  The teacher was smart – she didn’t have the children break the eggs into the batter; she had them break the eggs into their own separate bowls.  That way she could sift the shells out and use the eggs for something else.  Children don’t learn to break eggs by watching other people break eggs.  They learn to break eggs by breaking eggs. They become competent at breaking eggs by breaking eggs and becoming competent.

This principle is one that I followed with my own children and one that I followed as a teacher.  Yes, food experiences are easier if the teacher completes the difficult stuff and then simply lets the children stir.  Your baked goods will have less shells in them, but the children will have engaged in a watching activity rather than a food activity.  You might as well put them in front of Paula Deen and call it a day.

As you begin preparing your holiday menus, try and include your children in the food preparation as much as possible.  Think of ways that they can participate actively rather than observe the activity.  Let them prepare, cook, and eat their efforts.  This is a great way to let them truly engage in the festivities as they grow more and more competent.

Happy Thanksgiving Early Math Counts Readers!

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 centerpieces that represent all the abundance that the fall harvest has sown.

This alone, makes me think of great words that all children should be exploring.  When my kids were in early grade school, the teachers called these great words “5 dollar words” or “10 dollar words” giving them values that the children could understand.  Cornucopia is definitely a 10 dollar word.

When we think of math vocabulary, try as much as possible to introduce the basic words that children will encounter (more, less, few, many) as well as 5 dollar words that expand their vocabulary (tons, a tad, heaps, loads) and finally, 10 dollar words (abundance, scarcity, oodles, masses, multitudes, dearth, insufficiency).

Imagine a three-year-old in your program reporting to the group that she couldn’t finish setting the table because there was a “dearth of napkins.”  You may not think it is possible but it is.  Children can learn big words as well as small words; all it takes is exposure and frequency and opportunity.  My friend Alison used to say to the children in her group when a conflict arose, “Are you helping or a hindering?” Those children definitely came out of that year knowing the word “hinder” and could use it appropriately.

As Thanksgiving approaches, think about ways you can incorporate words like “cornucopia” – or any other 10 dollar word into your conversations about the Thanksgiving meal (if this is appropriate for your community).  You might discuss what “abundant” means and explore how many of the world’s cultures celebrates their harvest just like we do.