Asking Open Ended Questions

A question like " what color is that block?" evokes a one word answer. But an open ended question " tell me about the blocks you are using " gives the child an opportunity to…continue reading

Literacy and Santa

Who knew you could encourage kids to write letters by simply starting the day with a Christmas Song early in the morning and showing them a new prop I got for the playroom ? We…continue reading

Active Learning is Best

Active learning takes advantage of a children's natural desire to move and touch. Young children love to manipulate items and explore new ideas . They enjoy the opportunity to see how things work and to…continue reading

But Why Visitors ?

Today was a busy day. We actually had one less person show up to spend time in out classroom then we had planned. One might ask does this disrupt our day or in anyway take…continue reading

Pretend Play

Pretend play is not only one of the great joys of childhood, it also offers abundant opportunities for children's development. Children develop interpersonal skills, particularly cooperation and conflict resolution, and improve their language in problem-solving…continue reading

Fine Motor Development

To many people, fine motor development is the way children hold and use pencils, crayons, and scissors. But fine motor development is so much more. To understand fine motor development it is important to understand…continue reading

Setting Goals

When a teacher writes lesson plans she has a goal. For some teachers it's to teach a thematic topic - such as Thanksgiving. The children are taught what thanksgiving means , how it got started…continue reading

A Recipe For Learning

To children, the world of cooking is magical. We combine all kinds of ingredients, and simmer ,mix , boil, or bake, and then presto! – Something delicious is created. I told the children yesterday that…continue reading

Growing With Games

Watch children at play and you'll see them creating their own group games as well as playing old standbys – enjoying the time spent together with other children. But the value of such things goes…continue reading

Election Day 2018

Teaching children about our democratic society and voting at three years old is a waste of precious time. They don't even understand if you take a vote to go outside that you can only vote…continue reading