St. Patrick’s Day Jello re-post w/ a twist
I am excited to share with you a fun St. Patrick’s Day snack.
First a disclaimer, you have to really like having fun with young children on Saint Patrick’s Day as this is a time consuming snack, you will need several days to complete this.
Supplies
One box each of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple jello
Water
Small clear cups
Start by making the purple jello according to the directions. Pour about a ½ inch worth of purple jello into your pre-counted cups. Make sure that the children watch this process. This is the only step that they should see, so that they are surprised at the end when their jello has turned rainbow!
Next make the blue jello according to instruction and pour a layer on top of the purple jello layer. Continue with green, yellow, orange and last add a layer of red!
On Saint Patrick’s Day surprise your young child with rainbow jello!
If you are into leprechaun tricks, here are a few favorites at preschool.
Turn the milk green. Turn the toilet water green. Turn anything green!
Build a leprechaun trap. During the night leave a glitter trail leading to a lost piece of gold.
Hide gold coins.
Leave a trail of small handprints/footprints leading up to a small tea party.
Leave a tuft of leprechaun hair and a piece of clothing on the window sill as if a leprechaun left in a hurry.
Turn a select few things upside down.
Leave a message from a leprechaun.
Here is the link to the 2016 version! Combining St. Patty’s and Easter as the dates are so close this year.
Have fun, happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
Welcome New and Returning Families!
Welcome New and Returning Families!
We are so excited for the new school year and cannot wait to get started! This year will be filled with exciting adventures, fun projects and educational activities. These will be designed to help prepare the children for life’s endeavors, understand dynamics and engage in small and large groups, and become familiar with concepts they will further develop throughout elementary schooling and beyond.
We are welcoming so many new families, and are also mixed with bittersweet emotions as we send off our graduating students to continue their academic journeys in kindergarten.
Please join us for the end of summer playground playdate and Art Show on Friday, August 28th from 4:00-5:00 PM.
FGNS Kids
Please label everything your child brings into school. Each child brings hundreds of personal items into the school throughout the year and it is not possible to keep track of what belongs to who. Things fall out of cubbies, children take things off and throw them on the floor, give them away to another child or put them in the wrong cubby. In order to avoid confusion, we respectfully ask that you label absolutely every personal item that your child brings or wears into school. This may include but is not limited to sippy cups, thermoses, water bottles, lunch boxes, containers, jackets, hats, mittens, boots, slippers, comfort items, blankets ect. Anything special, valuable or irreplaceable should not come into the school. If your child comes home with something that does not belong to them, please return it in a timely manner. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Welcome New Teachers!
We want to extend a warm welcome to our new staff who will be officially beginning their journey teaching at Friendship Garden Nursery School full time for the 2015-2016 School Year. They are all thrilled to be part of our team and excited to further enrich the children’s lives with excitement and intrigue. Their objectives in the next few weeks will be to learn all about the children and their families, and continue to offer the structure, social, emotional and academic education the children need to thrive.
We appreciate your understanding and patience as everyone continues training for the last few weeks of summer. We recognize the importance of consistency in caregivers and are committed to maintaining a high standard of excellence in the quality of early education experiences offered here at FGNS. The new teachers were carefully selected, are in the process of undergoing comprehensive training and each has offered their assurance they are reliable caregivers and focused educators.
Meet Our Staff
Alexis Turner is our new Lead Teacher, stationed in the Toddler Room. Alexis has over 20 years experience teaching in preschool and toddler classrooms. She is also the mother to 3 wonderful daughters, Ashton, Emily and Ava. We are thrilled to have Alexis on our team as we know she will bring a whole new level of excitement for our amazing group of toddlers. 
Olivia Fluker will be the full time Teacher for our Pre-Kindergarten classroom. Olivia is developing a comprehensive curriculum plan to prepare the children for kindergarten and beyond. She is working hard to create a full schedule of fun and engaging activities and projects. She will be working in collaboration with Megan and myself to implement these plans effectively throughout the year.
Megan Foster will be the full time Teacher Assistant in the Pre-Kindergarten classroom. Megan is so happy to pursue her career as a preschool teacher. She will be working more closely with the young preschoolers to allow them more flexibility in academic based projects and increased support in social emotional development and potty training.
Boys Need to Move a Lot, Why?
I recently returned full time to the classroom with our recent move to Alaska. I have a class of 6 boy’s ages 2.0-2.5 years. This fact has caused me to look more closely at the early development of boys!
Boys need to move a lot, why? The boy brain and the girl brain develop in a different sequence. A boys’ interest in these big body actions is driven by brain development. One of the differences that drives this need to move is the development of the cerebellum. The cerebellum is located at the base of the brain. The cerebellum is responsible for big body (gross motor) movements, balance, and posture. During the first few years of life, the cerebellum in both boys and girls develops rapidly. In girls, the brain tends to begin developing language and fine-motor centers sooner than for boys. In a boy’s brain, the cerebellum develops for a much longer period of time than it does in a girl’s brain. Hence, boys’ interest in movement and their need to move – a lot! How do we manage this in the classroom?
First, I provide many opportunities for “big” movements. Indoors, moving chairs, boxes, baskets and objects heavy enough to engage the muscles. Provide materials and assistance for sweeping, mopping, dusting and moving laundry from the washer to dryer.
Outside moving buckets of sand, large blocks or boxes along with the usual activities of throwing, running, jumping, and riding.
Next I provide creative outlets that allow the use of the whole body. Sitting is difficult for boys. Allow boys to stand for a full range of motion. A fun alternative to standing is having the children lie on their backs and draw under the table (on paper of course). Sitting for snacks/meals/stories becomes easier if boys have experienced big movement.
I have always enjoyed the energy of young boys, and now I have a better understanding of how their brain develops.
Teaching styles and temperaments
Do different teaching styles and temperaments help develop a well-rounded child?
Children will encounter many different types of personalities and temperaments in their educators. The skills they develop from each will make them stronger more resilient adults. We have all developed certain traits based on how an educator impacted us, some negative and some positive.
I have observed over the years that it is not necessary to be huggy and cuddly to be an excellent early childhood educator. What does this mean, don’t we want our young children to be surrounded by baby talking, cooing people? This is not a necessity to being a good educator. Being kind and fair is. Children must adapt to the teaching style, just like in life. There is not a one size fits all profile for the early educator. The key to success is good relationship between the family and the provider, in other words, “a good fit”.
Ask yourself, are the needs of the children being met beyond custodial care? Is there a loving trusting relationship bond between the educator and the family and the child? If there is it is a good sign that educator is a good caregiver.
I work with educators from age 18-60. We are not all the same in our approach and style. Some of us have more physical energy and flexibility, some of us see more humor in situations, some of us are cuddly, and some of us are reserved. ALL of us care deeply about your children and we meet the basic tenants of caring and committed professionals.
Let’s go outside
Let’s go outside! Many people spend 90% of their time indoors. It has gotten harder to get young children away from the screen. As we get ready to head outside for more hours than in the winter, let’s explore some of the benefits of being outdoors.
The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions going outside is fresh air, sunshine and time to renew my spirit and energy. It takes a great deal of reserved strength to be a great teacher and getting outdoors is a way to renew those reserves. Time spent enjoying nature helps me renew not only my physical energy, but my emotional outlook as well. These benefits are enough to make me head for the door. I believe this to be true for young children too.
Jan White in her Exchange (May/June 2013) article, “Somersaults and Spinning: The Serious Work of Children’s Neurological Development says a vast amount of movement is required for the brain to fully develop and then fine-tune its ability to interpret all the motion possibilities. This also needs to be matched with vision, hearing, and sensory information coming from inside the body (proprioception). Rather than actually balancing and staying still, it is movement in gravity that makes this sensory system wire up in the brain and body. It is perhaps not surprising to find that these are the very things that young children most want to do and find such pleasure in!”
Young children need to move their whole bodies. Young children need to throw, catch and kick a ball, run, jump, dribble and shoot a ball, climb, chase, gallop, swing, crawl, and be loud. Young children need to dig, fill, spill and carry. They also need space to whirl, twirl, roll and bounce. All of these activities build the large muscles of the body necessary for a sense of equilibrium in relation to space and gravity, which is necessary for school readiness. All these movements can be accomplished during unstructured play time or under the direct instruction of a teacher or a coach. Games of toss and catch, kicking into a goal, shooting a ball into a basket, hopscotch, jump rope and hula hoops are some traditional playground games. Remember drawing with chalk on the driveway or painting with water on the building are great ways to strengthen muscles.
Young children need the sensory experiences of sight, sound and touch. Grass, trees, and bushes offer up a variety of sensory experiences. Use all of your senses when outdoors.
At Friendship Garden Nursery School we are in the process of building an outdoor learning center, as an extension of the indoor classroom. Since undertaking this project I have been investigating some different elements to include. Outside of the above mentioned playground activities our area will include a space to make music, a mud kitchen, tables and benches for outdoor discovery, paint easels and a big chalk board.
In this area we will also enjoy sun catchers and wind chimes. There will be baskets of pinecones and tree blocks. The goal is to assault the senses with nature.
Now, go outside and have fun!
Friendship
Friendship
What lessons about friendship can we learn from a preschool child?
I had opportunity lately to reflect on friendships when I moved from being in close proximity to some of my friends. I’ve seen friendships develop in preschool and continue into adulthood. I have friendships of my own that started in grade school. I’ve also known people who were “my friends” and are no longer.
Everything I know about friends I learned as a preschool teacher. Young children are my window into friendships simplified.
- Friendships are based on common interests. If you don’t like the same thing you are not friends.
- Conversely, opposites can attract and a balanced friendship can bloom.
- You can be friends one minute and enemies the next and friends again just like that. True friends let this happen and don’t judge why.
- Best friends eliminate drama, because they really want to keep playing together.
- Forever friends are the friends you don’t see for a while and when you do see each other again, you scream, hug and pick up where you left off without skipping a beat. I’ve seen this in young children who are separated for a week due to illness or family vacation. The reunions are joyous.
- Friends ask you to play even if you don’t ask them. Sometimes they just silently join you.
- Friends like your stuff, even if you don’t.
- They support you in doing something silly, adventurous or off beat but advise you not to do something dangerous.
- Friends never covet your stuff, they share yours and theirs.
- Good friends are happy for your happiness, even if they don’t understand why you are happy! They are happy because you are happy.
- Friends allow other people to be a part of your friendship.
- They give you non-monetary gifts whenever you are together.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Go spend time with a friend.
Is it time yet?
You will notice a shift in this blog. I am on sabbatical for a while and travelling to Alaska from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. My intention is to relate my new Alaskan experiences to my life as an early childhood educator.
How does a child relate to time?
Day one has been a travel day. This is a new experience in distant and time. I have lost all sense of time traveling through time zones, sleep deprived. Young children have no concept of time. Yesterday, today and tomorrow have no meaning for young children other than it is not “right now”. It is common for many parents of preschoolers to withhold any travel, birthday or special event information from their children. Often information spilled too soon for the young child can cause stress for all parties involved! When no sense of time is involved, the nagging of, ”is it time” and “are we there yet” and at this time of year, waiting for Santa can be an exercise in frustration for parents.
Which leads me to the practice of preparing your young child for a known upcoming change. Can you prepare and reassure your child ahead of time? I will answer this by stating that I have known about this trip for several months and yet I am a bundle of nerves about the unknown. Am I prepared, yes, have I been reassured, yes, am I excited, yes, do I still have fears, a resounding, yes! I am an adult I can do my own research, dig into my knowledge of change, and manage my stress after years of practice. I have empathy for the young child whose life is full of the unknown with no sense of time.
Some children handle change with what looks to be ease. We all have different constitutions and capacities for processing what is happening. Involve young children in any preparations that are age appropriate at the time when you think your child can handle the news. For some children more lead time will help, with others it will not help. Remember you know best how your child will react.
The Importance of Art in a Pre-School Curriculum
What is the value of art in the early childhood curriculum?
This month I will continue to explore each area of our curriculum. Last month I started with cooking. Let’s look at art.
Art can be enjoyed through all areas of the early childhood curriculum. Art in the nursery school is about exploration. The experience is about the process of creating not the final product though we all know there are limits on some creative behavior for safety reasons!
First, let’s consider art and social/emotional development. Art is for the pleasure and the satisfaction of creating something very personal. The product is very personal and need not be judged by anyone other than the creator. For the young child art provides the opportunity for freedom of expression through color, shape, texture, modeling and design. This can be accomplished with paint, playdough, paper and glue to name a few.
In the art center children learn to respect each other’s work and to accept differences amongst themselves. The practice of sharing supplies and space happens in the art center. Often children might have to take turns, another skill that can be learned in the art center. Art helps the young child build self confidence in his/her ability to make choices and decisions.
Art can build literacy skills as young children tell stories through drawing and painting. Additionally, looking at the art work in children’s books and offering the same materials is a great way to submerse the child in art. Art vocabulary can be very informative and impressive as the young child says “illustrator”, “mosaic” and “three dimensional” to name a few. Listening skills and following directions are important for safety and the setting of rules for using artists’ tools, for example, a paint brush, rolling pin or scissors.
How else is art important for the preschool aged child? In the area of math in the art center children can observe color, texture, size, and shape of objects. Often they may need to count out enough materials to complete a project.
In the art center, making play dough and paper mache are materials through which young children can participate in science. Young children thrive with hands on learning.
The art center can provide for physical development when exercising the small muscles of the hand while drawing, cutting, gluing and painting. Eye/hand coordination can also be developed. The large muscles of the body can be used in art as well, using the upper body when taking broad painting strokes.
Finally, at home provide materials and a space for your child to create. Fill a box, bin or bag with crayons, chalk, markers, pencils, playdough, rollers and cutters, scraps of paper all kinds, child scissors, glue and paint. You need not be fancy, recycled materials work well. Color or paint on old newspaper or cereal boxes. Throw in an old table cloth or sheet to catch the spills. Choose a space for creating and a special place for displaying what your child creates.
Next week I’ll take on the dramatic play area.