wine racks, ramps and marble runs.

I spied a small wine rack on the side of the road during our last council clean-up and in manner of all good preschool teachers, I stopped to put it in the boot because it might come in handy one day.

Turns out, it does come in handy.  It's perfect for holding up the tubes and gutters in the block area when making those ever popular car ramps and marble runs.  

A wine rack in preschool?  Who knew?!

Passing the Torch

Time continues to slip past us at an incredible rate.  As we age, our perception is that time moves even faster.  Before we realize it, we take the place of our parents and soon we will observe our children taking our place.  When my aunt, the last of her generation, passed away last fall, my cousin turned to me and said, "Well, we're it now.  WE are the oldest generation."  When did that happened?  When did I become the 'oldest' guy around?  I watch my three children as parents worrying about their children moving into the teenage years. Wow!  Part of me laments at being older while the other part of me is happy that I don't have to raise teenagers again!

I had the opportunity to take my six grandchildren to my parents' grave recently.  I really wish that my parents could have known my children and grandchildren as they are now.  They are so interesting and individual. But, time marches on and I am happy to have been the bridge between these generations.

They're Watching...

It always intrigues me to watch a young child with his parent or grandparent.  The child watches everything that the adult is doing.  If at all possible, the child will imitate the adult in an effort to be just like the person that is their protector.  As I watched a group of family members show their children how to safely use sparklers to celebrate the holiday yesterday, it was evident that the children were making efforts to follow the examples of the adults.  However, the older the child, the less the child seemed to follow the adult direction.  Isn't it interesting what children do as they become more independent.  It reminded me again of how fleeting and short these important early childhood years are for those young ones.
The experience also reminded me how vulnerable and delicate our young children are when watching their parent or grandparent.  When adults are good examples and at the same time challenge the child to think and create their own answers, a resilient child is created.  I remember reading some of the research on Multiple Intelligences that was a theory offered by Howard Gardner.  In one of his documents he mentioned how he didn't want his children to redo the same things that he had done.  He wanted them to create new things and new ideas.   Being a great example to children and encouraging them to develop thinking skills will help carry these children into a future we can't predict.

Balancing Act

Being a classroom teacher is often a balancing act. Teachers are often bombarded with the latest curriculum or teaching strategy that will solve all of their problems. In my effort to create a developmentally appropriate (DAP) classroom, I evaluated Creative Curriculum, Reggio Amelia, HighScope, ECRS & ITRS, and RTI to name a few. As I have looked at all of these approaches, it is evident that there are enriching portions in each strategy. It can be confusing for an early childhood teacher to decide which is best. Although I believe the HighScope approach may be the most 'child-friendly', there are still strong facets in the other programs. As a classroom teacher, I always tried to use the best of everything I had available for teaching the children in my care. Research tells us that even the best teaching strategies don't work with every child. Because of this we should look for all of the positive content that we can find and add it to our treasure chest of knowledge. Like a balancing act, the trick is to stay on the beam. Even when our programs choose a set curriculum we should enrich it with materials and good ideas from all credible sources.

HighScope Visit

I have the privilege this week of attending the HighScope International Conference in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I have wanted to learn more about HighScope and understand their concepts at a deeper level. It is a wonderful experience. Although I have always been a supporter of HighScope, it has been delightful to see it in action and to meet teachers that run programs using the HighScope's child-centered philosophy. I was excited to visit the High Scope Demonstration Preschool yesterday and see HighScope's Key Developmental Indicators in action. What a joy to see a classroom where children are encouraged to explore and develop critical and creative thinking skills. I left the school wishing many more children could have the experience this small group of children was enjoying. They truly were thriving and it was inspirational to watch that experience.

I always come away from classroom visits with lots of ideas. It makes me wish that I still had my own classroom. However, I will use the information to support the classrooms that I visit with my student teachers. There are so many things to learn about teaching and supporting children. I can't get enough!

Early Childhood Writing

I was presenting a workshop on literacy in the sand table at the Utah Early Childhood Conference this past Saturday. I was reminded about how critical it is to help young children feet comfortable with writing. Many early childhood educators mistakenly use handwriting activities as a writing response. Since writing is putting our thoughts down on paper, for young children that means drawing pictures. Handwriting will come as fine motor skills develop and as the child learns about the alphabet and reading. It is critical that we allow children to draw pictures and respond to the environment often, without the requirement of 'writing' letters and words. Although dictation (writing the words on a child's picture) is appropriate at times to model writing, it is also important for a child's project to stand alone. This is one way we can help children feel comfortable with responding to texts and putting their thoughts down on paper. The writing process is an important part of the new Common Core State Standards. I often think of the book, "Bunny Cakes," by Rosemary Wells. In the story, Max wants Red Hot Marshmallow Squirters for his cake. Since he can't write words, his success comes when he draws a picture of what he wants. Let's support the writing process in young children by allowing the drawing of pictures and celebrating those responses.

I had the distinct pleasure of attending a gallery stroll for a 6 year-old boy the other day. We had been invited by his father, who collects art, to see his son's exhibit. They had scheduled a local small gallery in one of our malls and we arrived to see the art that Nathan had created. I guess I went on the assumption that the reason for the stroll was because there was an amazing 6 year-old artist. He ended up being much more than just amazing. His art was the art of a 6 year-old child. However, his thought processes, his explanations, and the creativity he displayed through his art were the most incredible things of all. He was dressed in a suit, his art was arranged in a fabulous array of displays, and there were even refreshments. I was astounded by the planning and preparations that his family had gone through to produce a wonderful evening. Nathan was elated and played the part of an amazing host. As I was watching this scene unfold in the gallery I thought how fortunate he was to have a family who makes such a great effort to support his interests and budding talent. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every 6 year-old child could feel that level of support, encouragement, and love. It did make me start thinking about what else I can do to support my grandchildren....