So you know there are times that we do directed drawing. Usually only every six weeks or so. I appreciate the benefits of allowing the children to create art in their own way and in their own time. However, once in a while I do these little small group sessions with kids. Lots of learning […]

We are grownups provide the time, the space, the materials, and the atmosphere needed to create the wonderful works of art that only children can create. In valuing a child’s first artistic attempts, however, we should appreciate the beauty of the color and design rather than worry about the finished product. Real art for children […]

Yesterday the last thing Debby Cryer said before she left was ” I notice your kids have such confidence.” I agree. Some may have extra confidence but that isn’t always a bad thing. Confidence – a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities. How do we ” teach” confidence […]

You guys. You guys. Your kids are amazing. They help us look SO good. Picture this – We are videoing in the art area. They mainly want footage of back and forth conversations as the children create. I’m about ” talked out ” and Paislee says ” You know I can speak Spanish? I reply […]

Our visitors arrived around 930am. There were four! 1 Debbie Cryer – “Dr. Harms is recognized internationally for her work on assessing care and educational programs for children and as lead co-author of the four Environment Rating Scales (ECERS, ITERS, FCCERS, and SACERS). Much of her consultation through the Environment Rating Scales Institute (ERSI) has […]

As the children entered the yard to play today many of our leaves had fallen from the trees. As per tradition, they almost all drop in one night. The kids found the playground completely covered with a carpet of green. Today a crew of them set out to making a pile to jump in. They […]

As we finish reading a story to a child, grown-ups often groan when they hear the words, “read it again!” Many of us grownups tire of reading the same books over and over, but repeated reading is actually very good for young children. Children learn important things from hearing a book again and again. They […]

Today is random Debbie. I started the morning by taking the books out of our book rack next to our family time area. Many times throughout the week looks migrate there they don’t really belong there. As I sorted them into stacks I paid attention to categories. I put all the music books together and […]

Natural beauty can be seen everywhere. White fluffy clouds float above the yard, spiders web flutter in the wind, and the moon sometimes graces the daytime sky. Just the other day one of the children pointed high and said ” look it’s the moon!” Short nature walks give children a chance to observe the wonders […]

Today I thought about some of the goals I have for the children. Probably the biggest concern for parents are those fine motor skills – so the more I get the children excited to practice them during normal play- the better. During family time today we talked about tomorrow being Halloween and what we might […]