Who has the time??

Ahhhhh!!! So it's almost 9 pm and guess who's just now getting around to her blog? That would be this lady, right over here. Last week the blog didn't even get written. Why?  It's very simple...as much as I love to present myself as a working mother that has her ducks in a row and my life together, it's just not true 100% of the time. Kids get sick, I get sick, I run late, I over schedule myself, and sometimes it just all catches up with me. 

So how do we solve this problem??? I have not a clue, but I'm trying to work it out!! I've been reading some other parenting blogs that have some great time management tips.  Here are a few I've found that I'm going to try to put in to practice:

    1. Take an extre few minuets in the evenings to get everything you need for the next day prepped and ready.  Clothes, food prep for meals, and your kiddos things too.  

    2.  Don't over commit, it's okay if you can't bake cookies for the bake sale, drive the carpool, organize the next fundraiser, and run the neighbor hood watch all at once. Saying no is hard, but necessary sometimes.

    3.  Make time for the fun stuff, don't put fun family time or an evening with friends off because you have housework to do.  The dishes will be there tomorrow, opportunities to make memories with loved ones may not. 

Clearyourstress.com has several great articles about balancing work and family, as well as other time management tips.  Check it out! 

Crystal Drye

NC PreK Assistant

Math and Science in preschool Years

How early should children be taught math and science?

Math and science concepts can and should be taught as early as preschool. Children in this stage (preoperational ), learning early math and science concepts will develop into advance math and science concepts that is needed for thier elementary school years. 

Make learning math concepts fun. This child is learning about how a pizza can be made into a whole, halves, and quarters while pretending to be a chef in a pizza restaurant. 

This weeks theme for the Dolphins is 'Here Comes Fall.' Having fun while learning number recognition mixed in with gross motor development. Each child is asked to jump from leaf to leaf and identify the number they land on.

Learning the different colors and shapes of fall leaves is an early science concept that will then be carried over into the math concept of graphing. Through out the week we will be collecting data on different types of leaves we have found then chart our findings. This will give the children a visual for a better understanding of math.

Mrs. Kelly is asking the children prediction questions which are not yet obvious to them. Questions like, "what will happen to our corn kernels..?" "And how much water should you use ?" Also, "how fast do you think they will grow?" These questions will be answered by collecting the data and graphing the results from thier real life experience. 

Learning math at an early age will develop the child's thinking skills. Learning science with an open mind for nature and the world around them will support a life long positive learning experience for predictions, facing problems that need to be solved, and questions that they want answered.

My Week at Partners In Learning

I always tell my friends to do something nice for themselves on their birthdays. So, since it's my birthday week, September 21 being my birthday. I decided to write this blog about me and my week at PIL! 

I have the best job of everyone at Partners. How can I claim that you may be asking yourself. Well, the way I see it, I get to spend time in every classroom at some point and time during the day/week. Sometimes I even come in early and spend more time with my young friends and co-workers. I get to have relationships with all the children, families, and co-workers. 

I get to spend time in the infant room watching these precious little beings do things for the first time, or maybe for the hundredth time. Either way, it's just as exciting as the first. Or they may just be hangin out, chillin' talking to mommy on the phone. 

I get to spend time watching teachers do yoga with their little ones to help them relax after playing hard outside. 

I have a great time watching the children interact with each other and listening to their conversations with each other as they play. It's amazing how much children learn through play! They use conventional items in play as well as learning how to pretend play, using a bowl for a hat when all the hats are already being worn.

I get to see them on the play ground helping each other out. Is this something a teacher has taught them, or is this something they learned on their own through play? Maybe it's a combination of both. Maybe it's something they learned from home. 

I get to experience the excitement of seeing a child learn to walk holding on the the wall. 

And sometimes a school age child takes my phone and takes his own pictures. 

I also have the opportunity to see the teachers interacting with the children on their level. 

This week I even got to help make the valcano erupt!! This is what we used to make that happen. After the valcano experiment, we learned what happens when we mix colors. We also learned what color is made by mixing two separate colors. Our favorites were mixing red and blue to make purple, yellow and red to make orange, and yellow and blue to make green. 

I also am given the opportunity to go off site for field trips. This week I went to Patterson's Farm/Pumpkin Patch. We had a blast I might add. I saw one of our school age kids there and one of our kids who graduated from PIL! This school ager is also the one who takes pictures with my phone. 

I also went to lunch with my birthday twin Katherine Generaux. It was a learnig experience for both of us. Even though we have worked together for some years, we really didn't know much about each other, now we do. 

I get to see teachers out of their elements in other classrooms teaching and interacting with children older than what they are used to. And having fun while doing this. 

So you see, these are just a few of the reasons why I think I have the best job at PIL. I know this isn't your typical blog, but I hope you enjoyed it just the same. 

Do We Build Up or Tear Down?

Have we ever considered the words we use when our children come to us? Are we negative or positive? Do we say- "You could have done better?" or "Why didn't you do it this way or that way?" or "You should do this or that"? Well they may just seem like words to us, but to our chld, they can tear them down. Negative words can have a negative impact, it can cause our children to stop trying. They can make them feel like they will never be able to do anything right.

As parents we want our children to always strive to be the best they can be. We want them to never give up. Do we want them to improve?  Of course we do. So how can we do that in a positive way?

Well whenever they come to us with something, stop. Yes, stop what we are doing and give them undivided attention. This lets them know that they are important to us.  When they do something well, or are proud of an accomplishment, praise them. Let them know you like their effort. If they aren't happy with something, tell them that they gave a good effort, ask them what they are unhappy about. When you have figured that out, then talk with them in a positive way and see what can be done. You can say "Well, what would you do differently?" or "How do you think that you could make it better?"  When it comes to something that we want them to change or to work on, then what do we do?  Well we can tell them what they are doing well, tell them what we want them to improve on or change, and finish with something that they are doing well.

By following these simple suggestions, we will have children that will want to excel and they will want to put effort into whatever they do. We will have children that realize that what they do is important to us and that we support their efforts. They will also realize that whether they do something good or not so good, that we are on their side and that we only want them to be their best.

Who taught you to be so messy....

Over fifteen years of teaching in early childhood and at least once a year I get asked by someone..."why did you get in this field? Why do you teach in early childhoood when you could be a great school teacher?"  I try to be respectful but I am a teacher but yes I'm not your conventional teacher in any sense. 

You see I didn't have a conventional teacher in my early childhood either...she never had any teaching experience nor did she have an idea that she was empacking my future career choice. She went to a secondary school called Misinheimer School for Girls and her dream was to be a biologist but instead she became a mother of four girls and a stay at home mom (grandma and lucky for me, great grandmother). Viola Goodman was known to many by so many names but for most of us grand kids, she was Mawmaw Wow mainly because she said that she taught us all how to say the word but I truly think that it is because she was wonderful at showing each one of us our own "wow" factor in life.  You see, she never told you what it was but she gave you plenty of opportunities to learn it for yourself and make it your own.  This all of 5 foot even woman stood taller in many of our eyes more than anyone else has or ever will. So now what does this have to do with early childhood and the messy teaching strategies that I live and want my kids to experience while they are with me. For that, let's dive into the "Mawmaw Wow" way of teaching.

To fully see this interesting way of teaching, you have to experience it...I mean really experience it!!! No holding back and allowing everything to happen...all the cause and effects that happen for the reason of learning.  Let's look at some great examples of this...

This little guy found a small boulder on our playground near our natural creek area then proceeded to take it over to our hill slide to see what would happen. Where's the adult telling him what he is suppose to learn or how to do it? Out of the picture but always watching to see what he will find out.

With a friend, they learn about what happens with gravity and heavy objects. They switched rocks to see whose went faster and then they discovered that they go farther if they are bigger. Gravity is a huge concept but they have a great start. Just like when Mawmaw let me help with drawing water from the old well....it's a light bucket going in but it's heavy when it comes out with water. Gravity, weight, measurements...Wow!!!

Why do we need seeds? How do we get them? These kids are taking the kernels off the ear of ornamental corn. They had to figure out where it was the easiest to pull it with just two fingers. They asked why we were saving them, when do we plant them, and do we need to use all of the kernels (seeds) that we are getting off the ear.  I can't tell you how many times that I was in a garden when I was staying with Mawmaw in the summer and how many seeds she collected. I think there are still some of her saved seeds in my mom's freezer. That's the amazement of learning....Wow!!!

Oh I could never forget the love of cooking and all the time spent in the kitchen with her or all of our family.  One thing that I've never perfected was her bread making.  Once a week, she always made homemade light bread. Hot and steamy straight from the oven with butter maybe apple butter but gone in seconds.  She took hours (even days because she had to feed the starter) making it and we took just seconds to devour it.  Well, I may not have her bread making ability but we cook like crazy in our class because the observations of how things change, evaporation, yeast fermation, liquids vs. solids, etc are concepts that they may not know the vobulary for right now but it gives them a stepping stone for their future.

The kids love seeing the bread raise and giving us reasons why it does that, what happened to the liquids, where did the flour go, but most of all, why do we smell the bread when it is in the bread machine.  Several children woke up from nap saying that they dreamed of bread...funny thing is that I still dream of the days spent making bread with Mawmaw Wow. Talk about similarities...Wow!!!

For close to sixteen years, I have made this profession my passion but always knowing that there was one thing that I wanted to do every day of my teaching career...Give my children that "Mawmaw Wow factor".  What she gave to me were small things in her eyes...letting me raid her attic for dress up clothes, picking cucumbers from her garden then making pickles, taking care of the many animals she had and how they are people too, teaching me little tricks for remember my math (I still do my nines times tables backwards) but to me they are the small things that I want to share with every child who has me as a teacher.  So early childhood teaching will always be "WOW" to my kid's eyes and minds.

What we learn from a children's book

This week we are exploring the book called 'The Little Red Hen.' Have you ever relalized just how much you can learn from a book and how many activities can extend the learning process. Reading a simple children's book can lead to so many wonderful learning experiences. The experiences will get your imagination working and your critical thinking skills blooming.

In our sensory area, my two friends are using a play dough mat with a number and the name of the number on it. For this activity, the children will make play dough hen eggs to match the number of the little red hen eggs drawn on the mat. They are using critical thinking, number recognition, and fine motor skills.

At the manipulative table, the boys are using the little red hen lacing cards. This activity takes a lot of skill. The children are using much needed concentration, patience, critical thinking and hand eye coordination. 

In dramatic play area, the children are using their imagination by pretending to bake whole wheat bread. They are following the 1-4 step directions from the book 'The Little Red Hen.' The strategies being used are one to one correspondence,using numbers, and counting. They are also using some of the many social emotional skills such as, taking turns, approaches problems with flexibility and share and respect the rights of others. 

At this sensory table, this child with their parent,who is volunteering, is experiencing just what flour and oats feel like and the difference between the two. A wonderful hands on experience. 

This child is independently working on the iPad to retell the story using an interactive book.

In this egg sorting activity, this child is using the skillls I've mentioned above as well as communication and processing skills as he retells the sequence to the teacher.

These are just some simple activities that can be used as learning opportunities but were introduced by a simple book. 

Parents, Teachers, and Volunteers in the Classroom

At Partners, we have a variety of volunteers that help in the classroom with special projects. We especially encourage volunteers when doing a cooking activity. Volunteers not only help in the class during the activity, they also donate the items needed. We encourage the children to take part hands on in activities that are critical for their social-emotional development. 

Parents who are also teachers volunteer as well. This allows them the experience of participating in their child's classroom during special actives as well as allowing them the opportunity to get to know the other children who may be in their classroom in the future. This also helps with the transition when the child moves to another class. 

Not only do our volunteers help with the activities, they also get to eat the results. 

With our multicultural curriculum we encourage the children to try foods they may not have tried before. Today, Friday September 19, 2014, we had Mexican Corn. Mrs. Esmina, who is from Bosnia, tried it and she loved it so much, she had two ears of corn. 

What kind of manners should children learn?

Children are always learning. From the day they are born they are absorbing and watching everything around them. One thing that starts early are habits. So the earlier we start the better their habits will be. So how do we teach manners? And what manners should they learn?

Well they primarily learn by example. Ours and those around them. Do we say one thing and do another? By teaching them manners, they will be kinder and more considerate of others. They will be developing social skills and learn how to problem solve as well. We should be saying please and thank you, your welcome and excuse me. We should show patience and consideration when dealing with other people.How will manners help with problem solving? When a child wants something they should learn to say please. They will begin to learn that sometimes they get what they want and sometimes they have to wait. They will learn that being nice will cause people to be a little more willing to share.

So what manners should they know:

Say please, thank you, your welcome and excuse me. (model this for them)

Share and take turns

Say hello and goodbye to others

Answer adults with yes or no, not what

Help them to understand how others feel when they say or do something hurtful.Ask them how they would feel if someone did that to them.

When they do or say something that is hurtful, role play. Let them say what they think and feel and then show them a better way to handle a situation.

By starting with these simple steps you will be on your way to having children that are compassionate, well rounded individuals that others will enjoy being around.

Take it outdoors....

The phone is buzzing with a text message or an email, your kids are screaming because someone hit someone or they need this or that, the dog is barking because it's probably hungry since you forgot to feed it this morning, and all your spouse can say is "What's for supper?"  Do you ever just want to run away as fast as you can? Do you ever want to find a spot and chill out for awhile? Have you ever needed to find inspiration in something so you can find yourself?  Then take it outside!!!!

What do I mean you ask...GO OUTSIDE AND DO IT NOW!!!!  Nature offers so much and we often forget that it's free if we just take time to use it.  You can answer the phone or emails while sitting on  the porch or in the yard or even on the steps of an apartment.  The kids will be 10 million times happier outside and they will have other things to explore besides your "last nerve reflex". 

Have you ever thought about how we learn and experience opportunities better when we're outdoors.  Children can find it easier to cooperate and work together when there is a whole playground in front of them.

  So this is the tale of two caterpillars, one that is truly green and another one that is covered in fuzz. Ok, so maybe they couldn't tell me their life stories but the children did tell me a ton about them. You see these discoveries were made by the children and bought to me (mainly because I'm the only teacher who would not mind if they crawl around on me). The children filled me in on where they were found, how they were found, what their differences were, what they had in common, what they thought they eat, and where we need to put them after we look at them.  These are concepts that any teacher would love to have introduced but WOW these kids were now teaching the teacher. That would make any teacher proud!!!! The only input that I offered was that we looked on the internet (via that phone that you have that keeps buzzing) to find out their names, what they did eat, and what they were going to grow into.  These were still things that I was being taught by some pretty pushy teachers...all 20 of them that were helping to do the instructing.

Well there goes the question again..."What's for supper?"  Last week, I blogged about getting those sweet loving family members of yours in the kitchen especially the little ones.  Well, look here at our creek explorers. They must have read the blog too because they are practicing it outside.  With a donation of several poultry injectors (without the sharp point), these kids are exploring different ways of filling them up and releasing them back into the creek water.  Why is this so interesting? These children are doing this on their own with no instruction from an adult and are drawing their own conclusions/predictions from what they are experiencing instead being told what they should believe.  Yes, I threw in those big words like "conclusions" and "predictions" because if you have been following the news, we have got to instill these concepts of science and math in our children so that they may survive in our new global economy. Plus eating outside on a blanket is always better then inside.  

TAKE IT OUTDOORS!!!  

So the emails are piling up and the kids want to practice writing their letters and numbers on your tablet but it's stressing you out!!! Try an old favorite like hop scotch but use letters or even family members names in the squares. They don't have to know the letters in the beginning but by the end they will.  Have older kids and you need to practice sight/spelling words or they have that multiplation test this week...add them in the squares and get some excerise at the same time.  

Ok say it with me...TAKE IT OUTDOORS!!!!

So we have them outside, what about those important social skills like manners and politeness?????  You can develop those too with a little help from well just about any toy that they have to share with someone or something else.  Share the ball with the dog (after you feed him of course) so they each learn how to share, how to throw things over handed (without it being at someone when we're having a tantram), and how we treat animals with rescept as well as people.  Or take that tea set outdoors to practice patience and turn taking along with some imagination in food choices that they like to serve to us (chocolate covered ants and caterpillars are the local favorite around here).

  Once again it's all better in the great outdoors!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I understand sometimes it rains, sometimes it snows, sometimes it storms but... Oh who am I kidding that's a future blog so you'll have to come back to read more.  Just because life is crazy sometimes the best thing to do is find simple ways to pull everyone outside and experience the best that nature has to give us because it's right outside your door.  Even teachers who love to being outdoors still learn something new from time to time (aka knot tying with my son and our cub scouts.) So you are never to old or young to....

TAKE IT OUTDOORS!!!!