Guiding Light
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Looking closer at the philosophies of different schools, there are guiding lights in the practice of these programs that stand out as lighthouses for all people who work in early childhood education.
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Technology and Learning
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Technology is wonderful. The potential of computers to expand our knowledge is amazing. In our field, many schools use computers and technology to engage in meaningful work.
Read MoreCurating Mindful Inquiry: Part Three
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When we enter into learning as co-learners, we construct our practices together. Our dialogue with all members of the learning community involves diverse perspectives that help to shape our ideas of children.
Read MoreThe Box Robot
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Materials do not have to be fancy or expensive to provide wonderful creative opportunities. Recycled materials are free, easy to acquire, plentiful, and provide children the opportunity to imagine and create their ideas.
Read MoreCurating Mindful Inquiry: Part Two
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When we adopt the stance as co-learners, we acknowledge our responsibilities to scaffold and support the specific ideas and theories that children bring forward into our classroom, programs, and our lives.
Read MoreDrawing Transformers
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Observing children and documenting as they are creating and expressing ideas, is an opportunity for educators to discover insights into the thinking process, skill development, and the learning journey of a child.
Read MoreCurating Mindful Inquiry: Part One
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As humans, we are all invested in discovering our world. The practices of discovery allow us to test ideas of what might be happening, to draw conclusion, and to create a construct that explains and categorizes as a ‘truth’ from our discovery.
Read MoreYesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
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The traditions of school age care has supported thousands of children and families in the history of our practice. Why does school age care look the same as it was 100 years ago?
Read MoreShape Shifter
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Not all of the work we do together needs to originate from the children to be fun and beneficial. Process art benefits the children by teaching techniques they can use in future creative work.
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The Greatest of Them All
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The children love to create with cardboard and recycled materials. The amount of creativity and concentration the children display when creating with cardboard continues to amaze me. When the material appears to have reached the limit of creative license, the children invent a new way to explore the possibilities of this wonderful material.
Read MoreSailing Indoors
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Cardboard is a wonderful resource for children to create with and is easy to collect year around. Many children use cardboard to create and express all types of ideas. Ideas that bring people together in the learning community.
Read MoreDrawing Animated Characters
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An act like drawing, that adults may see as a form of play or entertainment has a deeper meaning to children. Drawing and other activities children choose contain elements of both work and pleasure. Children’s work has a higher purpose and deeper meaning.
Read MorePlayground Adventures
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When immersed in play, many children enjoy taking risks and challenging themselves physically. The children are searching for the limit of their current physical potential and feel open to pushing that potential during play.
Read MoreDrawing With Numbers
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Introducing children to new ways of thinking and experimenting with known objects invites exploration of other known materials in the future. By opening up the possibilities of number we open the possibilities of all things.
Read MoreCreating Suits of Armor
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Often one child inspires other children with their ideas and execution of work. A common activity is for children to use some of their day observing other children working in the classroom. During this time children are often motivated to try similar work themselves.
Read MoreThree Principles that Motivate Children's Actions
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Children’s actions appear simple but in reality are very complex, because children experience many variables in their daily walk of life, making decisions how they are going to respond to these experiences.
Read MoreThe Difference Between Guidance and Discipline
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There is a fine line between guidance and discipline. A line that represents our beliefs about children and our beliefs about the learning community.
Read MoreActivity in School Age Programs
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Educators in school-age programs spend much of their time trying to create new activities for children to be engaged in the classroom. The process of creating and implementing activities often becomes a distraction from working with the children. How can school-age educators encourage children’s activity while creating opportunities for wonder, discovery, and self directed satisfying work?
Read MoreBoundaries
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Children are always searching for the limit of their current potential and are motivated to push that potential to achieve a goal. Adults can learn a fresh perspective from children about risk and reward.
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