Summer: Freebies, Opportunities + Fresh AIR!

JUNE! SUMMER! VACATION! TRAVEL! REFLECTION! PLANNING!

Have you started your official summer? Have you crossed the finish line? Are you on the final count down? How do you go about reflection for the year just concluding? When do you start your planning for the year ahead? 

By all means where ever you are on the continuum I am here to congratulate all of your hard work, effort, enthusiasm and the progress your students made under your direction. Teaching young children is filled with hilarity and stress.... walking the tight rope between the two is what makes for a healthy and lengthy career. 

I had the great good fortune to make four author-illustrator school visits last week, in four different school districts. It is always so great to get into classrooms and see the fun that has been unfolding. 

In the photo above we are comparing my original art (quilt-of-fabric) to the printed version in my first picture book, "You're Wonderful." 

It is always fascinating to give the students the opportunity to ask questions of me as an author. Certainly one of the most intriguing questions of the week......... 

"Do you have an electric stove?"

That is definitely the first time that anyone has ever asked me that one!  

I was thrilled to see our Wobble Seats in 'action' in the classroom. The feedback is amazing. Everyone understands how much they contribute to learning, just by seeing them. For some children they are THE answer. The reality is that it comes down to budget. 

***We take purchase orders and offer quantity discounts.

One of my favorite things about being connected to our #TeacherFriends on the internet, is seeing such amazing projects. I am especially appreciative of works that are created in collaboration. Take a look at this amazing work created by Suzanne Turner's Kinder kids in Virginia! 

Click on the picture for a jump over to the blog with a further explanation of mural work. 

This work deserves display in an art gallery! 

Just earlier today we arrived to our annual sweet-summer spot and we have now appreciated our first sunset of the season. I can officially exhale. 

My GREAT, good news is that I have received word from Zaner-Bloser that they are going to fly me out to Vegas for "I Teach K" where I will present a 'Lunch and Learn' on Monday..... IN THE BALLROOM! 

And here's the pretty amazing part.... all of the participants to respond ahead of time will be given a box lunch for attending! So there is a free lunch after all! If you're planning to be in Vegas, I hope that you can add us into your agenda. Watch your inbox for the specifics. You will be receiving an email with details. 

I will then fly from Vegas to Dallas for Frog Street Press annual SPLASH conference. 

I combed the interwebs over at Teachers Pay Teachers for some summer-time freebies to support and encourage you. 

THE CYCLE OF CREATIVITY - How to create anything from nothing

THE CYCLE OF CREATIVITY

Whether we have the desire to create something ourselves...

Whether we are guiding young children and helping them understand that they can create anything...

Whether you are leading an organization and you want to empower those whom you guide to be more creative...

Enrique Feldman delivering a keynote address at the First Things First  Conference in Phoenix, AZ, August, 2015

We live in an increasingly visual environment. So, what does the creative process look like?

For children, it can be a moment in the kitchen with mom and/or dad and being part of the creation of a meal. Key to any moment would be the quality of the questions we ask while engaged. Open ended questions lead to a much more profound sense of creativity and begin to build a comfort level with the unknown with any age learner.

Mixing Paints and Pixels! Handmade Art mixed with Digital Art

Using different forms of Art can be a wonderful approach to opening up the creative process, as can collaboration. Assuming it is authentic collaboration, it can lead to synergy.  By authentic, I mean an environment where everyone feels safe enough to bring their ideas to the conversation.

Creativity can most easily be stirred in us when we connect to a passion we have.  When we begin to connect our sense of passion with others, creativity typically takes a leap forward in terms of the presence it has in our daily lives.

As children, we create everyday in most happy childhood situations. As adults, we quite often see creativity as a bonus, something we can sometimes engage... a luxury.

However, when we remember what it is to be a fully present human being, we are reminded of how much we have to learn from children. When we can find ways to create on a daily basis as adults, & live again like children, we find ourselves truly present in our daily lives and the cycle of creativity can become a way of life.

Early Childhood Educators experiencing iBG, Intellectual Brainwave Games, Original cognition and perspective games which remind us how it feels to learn something new!

Certainly, curiosity is connected to creativity...

There is a sequence of thought that, once engaged, will help you engage your inner sense of creativity and the feeling is like few others in life.  It is with great pleasure and authentic joy that I share this sequence with you. I call it the...

 Cycle of Creativity  

                                                              INSPIRATION 

What inspires you?

There are many ways to ask this question. For a young child it may start with "What do you like?" "What makes you excited?" I've decided to guide you through this cycle from both an adult and child perspective. Here we go!

ADULT PERSPECTIVE

Upon asking some adult friends of mine, many responded with one word... Chocolate! I wonder where the inspiration of chocolate will take us?

CHILD PERSPECTIVE

Upon asking some children what they loved and what excited them, some responded with... Ants! Hmmmm.... so many places this inspiration could take us, and actually took my daughter and me on a learning journey that has lasted for many years.

POV (Point of View)

What point of view do you choose and why do you choose this point of view? 

ADULT PERSPECTIVE

So in this example, chocolate was the inspiration. I asked one of my friends who said chocolate and they wanted to explore chocolate from the perspective of chicken wings... wow... I would not have thought of that. I asked this individual why, and they responded with, "I love chicken wings and I love chocolate and I wonder if the two could work together."

CHILD PERSPECTIVE

In asking the child who said "Ants!" I asked, from what point of view?  They didn't know what that meant, so we got down on the ground to see what things might look like from the eyes of an Ant and the young learner said, "Everything looks bigger!" The chosen point of view was how things look from an ant's eyes!

A tree from the point of view of an ant!

London from the perspective of an ant!

The above image of London is from a real website that looks at London from the perspective of an ant... I thought that was so inventive I just HAD to share it!

MESSAGE

What message do you choose to share from the perspective of your POV?

ADULT PERSPECTIVE

So far, from the adult response we have:

Inspiration: Chocolate

POV: Chicken Wings

So what message did my friend choose? Health benefits of chocolate is what they chose. Why I asked? They responded without hesitation, "I'd like to justify the eating of chocolate."  Brilliant...

CHILD PERSPECTIVE

So far, from the child response we have:

Inspiration: Ants

POV: How things look from the Ant's eyes

In continuing my conversation with the young learner, I asked, "what is something important you want to share with others about the ants?" Their response was priceless... 

"Pretend you're an ant and see everything"

I interpreted this as "Go on an adventure!" Perhaps it would become "explore the world!" 

Sam the Ant - a new children's book series

CONCEPT

What concept do you choose to focus on that best shares your message?

ADULT PERSPECTIVE

So far, from the adult response we have:

Inspiration: Chocolate

POV: Chicken Wings

Message: Health Benefits of Chocolate

The conversation with my friend was picking up as they were showing a great deal of curiosity as to where this could lead.  For their concept related to what they might create, they chose, "Healthy treat ideas!" They were all in, in part because they were creating the framework of creation.

CHILD PERSPECTIVE

So far, from the child response we have:

Inspiration: Ants

POV: How things look from the Ant's eye

Message: Explore the world!

In continuing the conversation with this child, the idea of what should the big idea be?  What is a concept we could create and this particular child said, "I want to make my own story... my own book!" I'm so glad I paid attention :)

CONTENT

What is the specific content which will best share your concept?

ADULT PERSPECTIVE

So far, from the adult response we have:

Inspiration: Chocolate

POV: Chicken Wings

Message: Health Benefits of Chocolate
Concept: Healthy Treat Ideas!

The conversation turned from concept to content, as in, ok... now that we have identified a lot of key details.... what do you want to create?!  The response was so cool.... "I want to create a chocolate based BBQ sauce that can be used with all sorts of cooking!"  I asked, "What about the healthy treat ideas?"  The response was so adorable.... "I'd like to change the concept to... healthier treat ideas."  Hahaaaaaahaa.... so, the cycle of creativity, like most cycles, is not always linear!

CHILD PERSPECTIVE

So far, from the child response we have:

Inspiration: Ants

POV: How things look from the Ant's eye

Message: Explore the world!
Concept: I want to make my own story... my own book!

Some of you know where this is headed and that it is based on the real life story of my daughter. When it came to the content, the actual stuff of the story, she wanted to create an Ant story where the Ant was always able to figure out what to do when there were challenges. Today, we describe this as "embracing adversity as opportunity." She is in fact the little girl who wanted to create her own book, and guess what.... yep, we did it and we're creating 27 of them.  The first one, Sam the Ant - The Flood came out in July of 2016 and the second one, Sam the Ant - Glow in the Dark, comes out this month! Barnes & Noble even picked it up for in-store purchase in 4 locations thus far.

A page from the new children's book series, Sam the Ant at www.SamTheAnt.com

PRODUCT

What is the product that speaks to content, concept, message, POV, and how is it inspiring?

ADULT PERSPECTIVE

So far, from the adult response we have:

Inspiration: Chocolate

POV: Chicken Wings

Message: Health Benefits of Chocolate
Concept: Healthier Treat Ideas!
Content: Chocolate Based BBQ Sauce
Product: Dark Chocolate BBQ Sauce

Ahhhhh.... the product.... so often, people begin with the product in mind, and sometimes you get lucky and it works. However, it is far more productive to begin with inspiration first. In this case, the product this person wanted to come up with was a Dark Chocolate BBQ sauce, so that the it wasn't overly sweet and could be matched with spices that pick up the earthiness of the chocolate!  Yum!!!!

CHILD PERSPECTIVE

So far, from the child response we have:

Inspiration: Ants

POV: How things look from the Ant's eye

Message: Explore the world!
Concept: I want to make my own story... my own book!
Content: An Ant who always knows what do do when there is a challenge (embracing adversity as opportunity)
Product: Sam the Ant Children's Book Series

Today, this series continues to unfold and evolve and the response has been tremendous and heart warming, in large part from the initial inspiration of Ants!

RESOURCES FOR CONTINUED THOUGHT

SAM THE ANT... 

Follow your curiosity with books, brain games and music

Free Sam the Ant Origin Videos

Kaleidoscope Children's Album on the Grammy Ballot!

Enrique's Public Speaking

Upcoming Free Events for Children and Families

My good friend Dr. Danny Brassell's Public Speaking who is the king of perspective in the educational world

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Stop Telling Preschoolers to "Share" and "Take Turns"

by Cheryl Hatch
Preschool Plan It

"Take Turns! Share!" Words we use every day.

A few months ago, I shared information about challenging preschool behavior and how we, as teachers can approach it.  But what about every day preschool behaviors?  

They feel pretty challenging even if they ARE developmentally appropriate, for sure! 

And we need to remember that it is our role, as the adult in the room, to help guide our children through the situations they face in the classroom each day--no prevent it or punish for it.

Sure, we certainly should know what triggers children to react negatively and do our best to provide an environment that does not create negative behavior.

We can provide multiples of popular toys and materials.  We can provide a space in the classroom to build that super high block structure that is not in the middle of the room and, therefore, in the major path of traffic.  There are many other areas we can observe, assess and do.  

Today, though, I want to make a suggestion about something you should STOP doing.

Stop using words like "Take Turns" or "We share the toys in school" and start showing them what that actually means!

We tend to think they know what it means to share or take turns, mostly because we or their parents have said it day in and day out!

But really, have we ever taken the time to really explain and show what those words mean?  Have we taken the time to think about what those words mean versus how we apply them to children?

What we sometimes have shown them is that sharing means relinquishing what they have to another child and that a person's turn is over when an adult says so, not because a person is done using an item.

I mean, let's face it, if you have 12 cars in front of you, you can share with me.
If you have 1 car in front of you, short of cutting it in half, you can't share it!

And, if you have the one car I want to use, we can take turns.  

However, what does that mean?  Usually the teacher sets a timer for 5 minutes and tells you that when the timer goes off, it's my turn.

But what if you are having that car go up that crazy, awesome block ramp you just built and it has to drive through the (imaginary) snow and mud to get to the top.  Now....you must decide......will it go down the ramp or will it use it's transformer wings to fly out of the snowstorm?  

Right when you are decided the fate of this car, the timer goes off and you are told that it's MY turn to use it.  BUT--YOU WEREN'T DONE USING IT YET!   

I used the timer method for a long time until I realized that it's not up to me to decide when or how long a child's turn is.  It is up to the person using the item!

Real life comparison:  

Let's say another adult in your home is using the one laptop in the house.  They are sending an email or writing a paper.  If you ask them if you can use the laptop (aka: have a turn) when they are done, what happens?  

Most likely they respond with "Sure!", they finish their email or paper and let you know when they are done, right?

Would you ever set a timer for 5 minutes and, when the timer goes off, go over to that person, take the laptop out of their hands and say "Timer went off--my turn."?

Of course not!! The person who is using the laptop knows when they are done.

It should be the same for children.  

You:  Playing happily with potential flying car in the block area.

Me:   I want to use that car.

You:  But I'm using it right now.

Me:  But you've had it for a gazillion minutes.  MISS TEACHER!  She won't let me use the car!!!!

Teacher:  You need to share (or you need to take turns)!

You:  Well, it's my turn right now!

Me:  But I want a turn!!

Teacher:  We'll set the timer for 5 minutes and then it will be Cheryl's turn.

This is the typical approach.

Instead, it is my belief that we need to let the child decide when their turn is over.  It might be in 5 minutes, it might be at clean up time.  If that happens, you can always put a note on the toy or item that says "Cheryl's turn is tomorrow" and let me use it first tomorrow.

We need to approach every challenge as an opportunity to teach problem solving skills, including what sharing really means.  And what taking turns really means.

Children can not learn to negotiate problems if they are not allowed to have them.  

Some Resources To Provide Tips and Techniques

I have an article on the website about Behavior Guidance for other behavioral challenges we see day to day in the classroom.  It helps go over 4 steps to take to help decide HOW to approach different behaviors.

Click here to read the 4 Steps to Behavior Guidance in Preschool.

And if you missed my previous article on Challenging Preschool Behaviors, you will find that here.

About the author

Cheryl Hatch has taught and directed preschool programs for over 20 years.  She is the Creator and Owner of Preschool Plan It, a website dedicated to sharing preschool themes, activities, articles and training with early childhood educators.  She volunteers as the coordinator and teacher of the MOPPETS program in her town (a preschool program for the M.O.P.S.--Mothers of Preschoolers Program).  She has her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education.  Cheryl has been an active, integral member and leader within the Teachers.Net Early Childhood community for many years, moderating live chats and providing peer support on the Preschool Teachers Chatboard.  You can read Cheryl’s articles, activities and themed preschool lesson plans at www.preschool-plan-it.com 

Effects of Unemployment on Preschoolers and How Teachers Can Support Families

5 Tips Teachers Can Use To Help Families

The U.S. unemployment rate varies.  We have seen it as high as 10.08% to 5.5%.  Regardless of the percentage, approximately 12% of that number represents families according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here are some things you can do as a teacher to help your preschool students and families during this time.

Behavioral changes due to the stress caused by unemployment and other family life changes in the home can be seen at school as well as at home.  Below you will find information, ideas and resources addressing how we, as teachers, can help the children in our care and their families.

The Effects of Unemployment on Preschoolers

We can only imagine the day to day stress in the home that affects the entire family.  Many times, the preschool teacher may not be aware of this situation. The families may be worried about how to pay the preschool tuition in addition to paying other bills and, therefore, not share this information with you. 

This jobless situation may cause the family to need to withdraw their child from care for the obvious financial reasons. Many families try to keep their children enrolled not only to give them time to job search, but also to give their child continuity during this uncertain time.

Preschool children’s lives are based on daily routines and it is how they “tell time”. They may not be aware of the job loss at home or what it means, but they do know that something is different.

Mom or Dad is, for example, wearing blue jeans while dropping them off to school today and Mom or Dad only wear blue jeans on "their day off". Preschool children may react by having sudden separation issues from their parent (they want to take the day off with them!).

This is only one example of a small, but significant to the preschooler, routine that is different for them. Changes in routines at this age cause confusion and may show itself in behavioral issues not typical for this child.

Some effects of a job loss in the home on young children can include:

• Behavioral changes such as sudden or renewed separation anxiety.
• Hitting, biting or other uncharacteristic increase in aggressive behavior. This can be from confusion due to changed routines, lack of sleep or perhaps even hunger.
• Decreased concentration and memory (from lack of sleep, poor nutrition and/or chronic stress).

5 Things Teachers Can Do To Help

1.  Stick with routines; maintain consistency.  

Families should try their best to keep their daily routines (such as morning routines, bedtimes and daily chores) as consistent as possible. 

Teachers should, as discussed above, keep routines the same. The consistency and predictability will help the preschooler feel more secure.

2.  Communicate often and always.  

Families: Communication is key. It is important to have a good raport with families from the beginning. Remind them that together, you are a team looking out for the best interest of their child. 

Teachers: This is obvious, but let's revisit!  Listen, listen and listen some more-to the families and to the children. You will learn much by setting up your day in a way that there is much time for the teachers to sit and interact with the children.

3.  Keep kids (and families) involved in healthy habits.

Children (and adults!) tend to have more restless energy when stressed. Preschoolers need strategies to help burn that off! 

Families:  Encourage the parent to include their preschooler on a daily walk to burn off any stress or anxiety together and for some nice together time. 

Teachers: If you notice that this preschooler has a lot of energy at a certain time of day, they probably need to burn it off! Consider adding a music and movement, gross motor or outside time to your day for all the children during this time.

4.  Adopt a good behavior plan from the beginning of the school year.

Families should make every effort to keep the same behavior expectations and consequences in place. This is easier said than done when we are not the ones unemployed. Parents may need your help figuring out with "battles to fight". 

Teachers: As discussed above, it is so important to keep your routines and expectations the same. Do not allow inappropriate behaviors to “slide” because you know where it’s coming from. It’s still not o.k. to hurt our friends or throw our toys. Be consistent with these expectations and redirect the child acting out. Let them know you understand that they are angry, however you cannot let them _________ (throw toys, push others, etc.).  

5.  Demonstrate and verbalize your love.  

Families: The old adage is true! “Hug long, hard and often!” The amount of stress, fear and anxiety the family is under during unemployment is tremendous. Their thoughts are in 19 different directions. Much of the thoughts are fearful ones: Will we be able to pay the rent/mortgage? Is there enough to pay the utilities? What about food? What if I don't find a job soon? Remind them to take a break and just be-read a story with their kids and take time for an extra hug! 

Teachers: Reach out to families. Offer books or book lists to help with this time of separation for their children. Also, occasionaly send home a thinking of you card or a joke to make them laugh. Remind them that you are thinking of them!

In Summary

Being unemployed or underemployed can become long-term in this economy, therefore so can be the stress and affects on the children. Be aware of changes in behavior and keep the communication with parents open and constant!

Book List Suggestions Regarding Unemployment for Children

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Mommy Works, Daddy Works by Marika Pedersen

My Dad Takes Care of Me by Patricia Quinlan

No-Job Dad by James Malone

Book List Suggestions Regarding Unemployment for Adults

Effects of Job Loss on Family (Focus on Family Matters) by Michele Alpern

Little Victories: Conquering Unemployment by Tom Brophy

Unemployment: The Shocking Truth of Its Causes, Its Outrageous Consequences And What Can Be Done About It by Jack Stone and Joe McCraw

Other Resources Regarding Unemployment

State by State Unemployment Resources

About the author

Cheryl Hatch has taught and directed preschool programs for over 20 years.  She is the Creator and Owner of Preschool Plan It, a website dedicated to sharing preschool themes, activities, articles and training with early childhood educators.  She volunteers as the coordinator and teacher of the MOPPETS program in her town (a preschool program for the M.O.P.S.--Mothers of Preschoolers Program).  She has her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education.  Cheryl has been an active, integral member and leader within the Teachers.Net Early Childhood community for many years, moderating live chats and providing peer support on the Preschool Teachers Chatboard.  You can read Cheryl’s articles, activities and themed preschool lesson plans at www.preschool-plan-it.com