iHeartPreschool

🚰Tubes and Tunnels Study🧪

Have you tried the “Tubes and Tunnels” Study yet?
Most people stick with their favorites, because they know what to teach and what the study is all about, but trust me, getting out of your comfort zone and trying a new study can be so much fun, because you truly learn WITH the kids as you go along!

What if a young child in your class brings up a current event?

With everything that is going on in the world right now, it is hard to shield young children from it all. Or should we even?

As a teacher it is important to think about what you want to say when a child brings up a current event and how to react:
* Ask what they know
* Ask them how they feel
* Reassure safety
* Look for the Helpers
* Talk to the parents
* Keep the age in mind
* Don't be like the news

It really does! As a teacher you always have your classroom/students in mind, even when you are not at school.

*Article about child development popping up on the internet - “I need to read that real quick.”
*Organization stuff, art supplies, etc. at target dollar section - “Oh, I might need that in my classroom.”
*Someone giving away children’s books on buy nothing - “My students would love these.”

Raise your hand if you have a ton of teaching materials “hoarded” in you home right now! I know I do! 🙋‍♀️

That feeling when your study books arrive in the mail. 📚 (Currently teaching the “Gardening Study” from home.)

I also have the first two weeks of the “Gardening Study - Home Edition” up on my website and will add the rest as I go, if anyone if looking for some remote learning ideas.

Www.iheartpreschool.com
->At Home
->Gardening Study (Home-Edition)

Thank You...

..to EVERYONE for doing their part! 💕

*For the essential workers risking their health (doctors, nurses, grocery workers, delivery drivers, early childhood educators, ...)
*For people staying home,
*For the kids adjusting to a new normal,
*For parents teaching children at home while working,
*For teachers teaching from home,
*People and companies stepping up to help strangers,
*And so many more that I could go on for days...

"Assessments don't always tell the whole story."

One of the reasons I love teaching preschool is that I don’t have to formally assess my little ones! We have assessments but they focus on the development of children and give me lots of wiggle room.
All my preschoolers have different strength and have taught me so many times to think outside the box and see the world through their unique eyes.

🌲 Tree Study 🌳

Our next study will be the "tree study". Last school year I did it during spring, this time I'll try it during fall, incorporating the changes of the trees around us. 🍁
With thanksgiving and the holiday season approaching, we will also incorporate thankfulness and books like "The Giving Tree", and trees used for special celebrations. 🎄

With the tree study comes a lot of nature play as well, so there might be another "Toy-free-nature Day" (a day where we take all toys out and replace them with nature items only)!

Great article about how we are doing our children no favor by introducing them to formal education too early and why play is so important for them.

"...kids who are given inappropriate situations tend to behave inappropriately. Too much seat time or work that is beyond the zone of proximal development leads to frustration. Kids – particularly those who are younger and less likely to be willing or able to verbalize this frustration or problem-solve the situation – tend to release this frustration physically. A child becoming wiggly, disruptive, or aggressive is much more likely to occur in a classroom that is not developmentally appropriate. It’s not structured to meet kids’ developmental needs or support their developmental growth."

The other part of this issue is that we need higher standards for Early Childhood Educators (education and better pay), because at the end of the day it comes down to the quality of the teachers.
I've seen passionate teachers in schools with little resources work miracles, because they know how much these little minds need them.
And I've seen "teachers" work at schools that have all the resources you can imagine, but they are taking things for granted and are being inappropriate with children (activities, interactions, expectations).

The Cost of Ignoring Developmentally Appropriate Practice The previous installment of this series on DAP ended with a quote that really resonated with me. It perfectly encapsulates the ironic environment we find ourselves in today. There’s a well-…

🐖Farm to Home🐄

Took Emilia to the farmers market to show her where our food comes from, learn about different farms and try some yummy food.
Safe to say it was a huge success, my sometimes picky eater tried every food that was offered to her - smoked salmon, homemade cheese, spinach pastry, plumcots and gyro.
We will be back next weekend!
And yes, we ended the trip with a piggy cookie! 🐷 @ Redmond Saturday Market

🐓Farm to School 🐖

The "Farm to School" study is finished, created after the concept of the "Creative Curriculum" studies. (You can find it on my TpT store.)
We will be starting it in October in our preschool class and I'm super excited for it. We will be tying in our school's annual pumpkin patch event at Oxbow Farm () and taste test lost of local produce throughout the study, teaching healthy eating habits and where food comes from. 🍎🍐

@ Kirkland, Washington