Bring Back the Rhymes (and a freebie, too)!

No, nursery rhymes are not just for babies.  In fact, lots of babies aren't even hearing them anymore.  Let's bring back the rhymes and engage children in meaningful rhyme and story.  My kindergarten students LOVE to read (and reread and reread) nursery rhymes and they also love to take them apart, put them back together and change them around.  It's no secret that children love anything personalized with their name or their picture, so let't take that idea and run with it right??
We recently did the nursery rhyme Three Little Kittens.  Perfect, right?  It's cold, the children wear mittens and are always losing their mittens and getting their moms all frantic, so they can really relate. There are so many skills and concepts found hidden in this rhyme:

• My favorite is using intonnation when you read and really "reading" the punctuation that is there. The kids get how upset the kittens will be to tell mama cat that they've lost their mittens, so how will they say it?  They also get how upset mama will be when she knows they've lost their mittens.  How will she respond?  Try reading it without any expression and see how they react.  This is how they begin to learn about intonnation in their own reading and how it can change the whole meaning of a story or change the excitement of the audience anyway.
• I always introduce the concept of mystery through this rhyme.  Where did those mittens go anyway?  Some of the ideas that these childdren have will simply amaze you.  It generates amazing writing and excitement.
• Math:  I always coincide this with skip counting by twos. Mittens do come in pairs, right??  And, of course those silly kittens lost both mittens to help us find pairs.
• Phonics and reading skills:  rhyming, of course!  Finding words we know in words we don't (example it is found in little and mittens and kittens).  But, also, there are copious amounts of chunks to be found and located in this rhyme as evidence shows below (I have my students "butter" the chunks and words we know in the poems with "sticks of butter" a.k.a highlighters--keep it fun, people!).  When children see all they know in excerpts they are going to read, it makes them realize, "Wow, I really can read this!":

Check out the amazing art that is generated from this personalized rhyme where the student becomes the angry person who the kittens reveal that they've lost their mittens to. 

Please hop on over to my blog if you are interested in getting a 3 Little Kitten packet to use with your students!

Unusual Items in the Blocks Center

Hi! It's Scott from Brick by Brick. I love to repurpose materials—use materials in ways different from their intended use. My kids love to build things and I've been looking for ways to expand those activities. So I've been experimenting with using unusual and different items in the blocks center. Here are some items that have been repurposed for construction.

Food Containers - Last month on this blog, I mentioned using food containers in the blocks center.

Colander and Chenille Stems (Pipe Cleaners) - The kids discovered several ways to use the chenille stems with the blocks. The colander became a dome for the "bird house."

See more pictures.

Colored Straws - For a while the kids just played with the straws. Then, the straws became a part of the construction.

See more pictures.

Rocks, Plastic Grass, and Paper - I thought the kids would create nature scenes. They created yards for their building. They began to tear the paper to create more "grass." Not what I had in mind but still a fun experiment.

See more pictures.

Fabric - I put fabric pieces in the center. My thinking was to create tents but the kids found lots of uses for the fabric.

See more pictures.

Rope Light - I really was excited about this activity, adding rope light to the blocks center. I'd seen it on a few other blogs. My kids tried it a little but really just ignored it. We will be trying this again.

See more pictures.

Wood Objects - I gathered some wooden objects from the craft store. Kids had fun experimenting with using the objects on their block constructions and building with the objects only.

See more pictures. 

Kitchen Items - My most recent experiment was using kitchen items in the blocks center. Kids built with the blocks and pans...and tried building with just the pans themselves.

See more pictures.

My best advice in using unusual items in the blocks center—just put the items in the center and let the kids experiment. Don't offer any particular ideas or the kids may just do what you suggest. I've found that I need to tell kids, "You can use these things if you want." (Sometimes kids ignore or avoid the items without my "permission" to use them.)

What unusual things have you used in the blocks center? (I'll post more ideas on Brick by Brick today.)

My name is Scott, though most call me Mr. Scott. I love teaching preschoolers and kindergartners. I have been working with kids for over 25 years. I've been a teacher, preschool center director, volunteer, curriculum writer and editor, and workshop and conference leader. I blog at Brick by Brick.

Giving our Children WINGS! Flying and Home Base

Dear Debbie and Our Family of Friends of Our Children,

A few of you have asked if Dan Brodsky Chenfeld, skydiver, author of the new book, "ABOVE ALL ELSE" (available at Amazon ) is related to me. Yes, dear ones, he is my youngest child and sharing this news with you connects to vitally important themes in our sacred calling of Early Childhood Education.

You guessed it, ours was a most permissive , encouraging family. Follow your passions. Follow your dreams. Courage! Don't worry about what others say. Do what is in your heart! No one is perfect! If you love something, stay with it. Keep trying. Process over product! The JOY of doing! 

5 Year Old Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld 'Flying'

Well, our Danny always wanted to fly! He wanted to be a bird! Yours truly never ever even heard of such a "field" as skydiving but this flighty child fell in love with the closest thing to flying by himself and that was the beginning of his lifetime adventure. He's still up in the air!

Now, this earthbound mother and teacher wants to remind Deb's dear readers that not all of our children are encouraged and hallowed by family. Many of our children look to us --teachers -- for welcoming, honoring, listening,  reassuring, celebrating- For so many of our young students, we are the ONLY people in their lives who offer such gifts in a safe and loving place. There is no real measurement to equal the importance of these relationships. I think of our work as Life Affirming! Teaching in the 'key of life.'
       
I was recently on our NPR radio call in show about creativity in education. A gentleman in his sixties called in to tell us that when he was a very young child, he had a wonderful teacher who constantly reassured him as he expressed anxiety and nervousness with so many projects. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Her support constant.   He told us that to this day, music and art are part of his life because she helped him love the arts!

It was a beautiful phone call. Wherever you are, you are  a city of refuge, home plate, an oasis for our children. Who knows? One of your little ones might be dreaming of flying right now?

Love and Peace,
Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld
Creative Experiences For Young  Children (Heinemann)
Celebrating Young Children And Their Teachers (NAEYC and Redleaf)
Teaching By Heart (still available from Redleaf)

PLAY respected! Leeanne A

I think we can all agree that play is the fundamental way in which children learn. We have heard the quote, “Play is the true work of childhood.” Children will thrive intellectually, physically, and socially through play. Simultaneously, communication skills are enhanced through play. During play children will explore, experiment, develop friendships and share on many different levels. So play is definitely the quintessential element in early childhood development.

So where should that play take place? Some advocate mainly outdoor play – while others may suggest both outdoor and indoor play in balance is essential for the children in our charge.  It is my belief that neither is right nor wrong, but simply a preference. I am sure there are many strong opinions on this, which opens a can of worms; however I believe we all have the same goals in mind – the positive, forward development of the child.

So respecting the differences in how play is implemented should be recognized.

Some questions that need answering when providing a quality childcare program may be:

What is your preferred manner of implementing your program to ensure play takes place?

 What if you had no choice in the matter; how would you ensure play takes place?

What portion of your program is dedicated to play?

It can be said that play is innate; however there are those children that need a little encouragement to venture forth. So it is our job to provide the tools to ensure play takes place. This means we have to be astute in laying out the path to affirmative play. I recognize that the majority of Early Childhood Educators are very creative and have their finger on the pulse of what children want and require for developing during play. Some of us do this through music and drama, some through outdoor exploration, some through art and creative activities….. The list goes on, due to the fact that we are all essentially unique in who we are, where we live and the experiences we have had. There is no right and wrong when it comes down to the fact that children are indeed playing. They are indeed thriving and developing into the fully evolved little people we want them to be. The children are flourishing, happy and show us that what we are doing for them is fostering growth.

So why speak of play and how we implement play? Well it goes back to the fact that we know play is essential – play is implemented in many different ways. As long as we are providing an outlet for play and play is taking place on a daily basis – we respect the manner of how play is implemented, our children will benefit. 

DANCING THROUGHOUT THE DAY -- Part 1: A Greeting Dance

DANCING THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Part 1: A Greeting Dance



Hello EC Community,


As a way to further my passion for offering many different dance opportunities to children, this blog entry begins a series of activities based on the daily routine of young children.  They are easy and ready to use!


Children start the day moving from the moment they open their eyes.  Offering a lively activity to children at the beginning of the classroom day is a wonderful way to channel their energy in a positive way.  Try this greeting activity as is, then make up and add your own variations.


                                         
                            Let's Wave!

Step to the side and wave your hands down low,
Step to the other side and wave with your toe!


Step to the front and wave your elbows up high,
Step to the back and wave with your thigh!


Now stand in place and wave with your knee,
Wave to yourself, then wave to me!


Jump and hop and twist and bop,
Wave everything . . . 'til I say stop!




In the last stanza, with the words "Wave everything," encourage the children to wave many body parts all at once.  Repeat the whole activity several times in a row.

Step to the front and wave your elbows up high!

Jump and hop and twist and bop, Wave everything . . . 'til I say stop!

Tips for expanding the activity:


*Tap along with the beat using a drum or tambourine


*Play an instrumental musical selection with a steady beat, and try this activity to music


*Ask the children to do a free dance to the music, using the ideas in the activity as well as new ones:  What else can you wave?  Your heel?  Your head?  Your hip? Your torso?  Your ear? Your eyelids?


*Use the side to side movement in the first stanza  to introduce the concept of right and left by changing the words slightly in the first stanza, as in this example:


                  Step to the right and wave your hands down low,
                  Step to the left side and wave with your toe!








Next up in the DANCING THROUGHOUT THE DAY series: 


Part 2:  A Circle Time Dance Activity


Keep on Dancin',


Connie

Copyright 2012, Connie Bergstein Dow

Process & Product... both work together!

I know there has been much talk about process vs product lately. I just wanted to share my viewpoint on this wonderful topic. Wonderful topic you may ask? Yes! Art is so important to a child. Those scribbles in toddler years develop into lines, shapes and designs. I see it with my own children. How delightful it is to see little portraits develop from the circles over the last month. 

PROCESS

In my classroom setting I always start with the process. Mostly, we start by taking paint and painting shades of colors on construction paper. This is our painted paper. Next, we dive into the scrap box of painted paper and add that to our projects.

In the project shown below students first painted the background. I just put out big paper, paints and brushes. 

(I did let them know that their future projects would be added to this large painting.) 

Various colors of paint are in the egg cartons. The students then have free choices on colors to use.
I gave them a subject to paint. "Flowers" that was it. I did not say what or how to paint. Children just have the tendency to take off, but a springboard idea is always helpful.


PRODUCT
The next photo is our product: I had students use painted paper that we created in the past (process) to make their Mexican Blankets. Cut strips, glue down and add lines and patterns (you know those fun scribbles from the toddler years) using oil pastels and paint. We used construction paper for the base to glue the strips onto.

Lastly, we glued down our Mexican blankets and guitars to create a Mexican Marketplace.

The students absolutely love seeing the progression of their work. 

 Never take the fun out of creating because that is where the learning begins!

Laura

Laura is a elementary art teacher who is the author of Painted Paper. She has presented her thematic units nationally at the National Art Education Association and Ohio Art Eduction Association Conferences. You can follow her updates on fun and creative projects for kids here

Stereotypes Have No Place Around Here!

Hi, I'm Greg & I am an Early Childhood Teacher from Australia. I write a blog called Males in Early Childhood which you can find by clicking here.

Over at the Males blog I recently posted about breaking gender stereotypes in preschool. That post was more focused on the children. Here I want to focus my attention more on the stereotyping associated with those working with children. I try to encourage children to explore non typical experiences by providing resources that foster engaging in non-typical play experiences.

It helps immensely if there are examples available for the children to encounter, such as this puzzle depicting a male ironing.

Photos of people doing non-typical jobs such as male nurses or female mechanics. Children having access to books that involve characters engaged in such roles also encourages breaking these stereotypes. Examples of such books are Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and William Wants a Doll by Charlotte Zolotow.

Who knows if we have a female engineer in our midst, or the next male hairdresser to the stars. There may even be a male preschool teacher or two among them. But even if there isn't, these children will have far richer encounters by having the choice to engage or not in such experiences. Broadening the range of experiences children engage in also provides more opportunities of incidental learning in a number of key developmental areas such as language and communication, social interaction, exploration and discovery, sense of self, and an acceptance for who they are.

So whether it's what the children do, what they choose to play with or how they choose to interact that ignores such stereotyping, or their appearance. Such as when I recently took some nail polish to work and painted the children nails a different colour each day. There is simply no good reason why children cannot have access to the same experiences as any other child, regardless of whether they possess a y chromosome or not.

Of course I always try to lead by example and therefore would never ask a child if they wanted their nails painted if I hadn't done so myself first. I think they looks simply divine. Besides, I'm a walking talking everyday example of a broken gender stereotype.