Friday, December 20, 2013

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

Here's a review I think I may frame!

Dear DJ, 

As I am reading your book  in my spare moments at work, I want to jump up and down because it explains so well my philosophy and belief in how Early Childhood Education should be done.  I had the privilege of working at a preschool the past 25 years that also believes in DAP and nurturing the  whole child in an environment where the teachers are the facilitators and the children are the leaders of the play.  We were one of the first in Kansas City to receive NAEYC accreditation and participated in the pilot program for QRIS, receiving a 5 star rating...You describe DAP so well in an easy to read, enjoyable way.  I want to carry it around and give it to everyone I meet and say ”ditto” on everything in this book. J  Thank you for spreading the message so well, keep up the good work.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Something To Do When "There's Nothing To Do!"

"Only boring people get bored, and baby, you aren't boring!" That was my mom's reaction to my complaining I had nothing to do.  She would promptly follow that up with some random chore ("if you are THAT bored, go clean out the cabinet with the pots and pans.")  It didn't take too long for me to come up with ideas on my own!

In case you need a little help with ideas today (It's a snow day here in Baltimore), I thought of something we do in the preschools that would be fun with your children.  Now, fun is a relative term.  You will need to be present in the beginning of the activity in order for it to succeed. If you do this activity while stir-frying or tweasing your brows, this may not be as fun.

Make a discovery pile with 5 random objects ( for example, pillow, umbrella, computer mouse, box of tissues and a picture frame.)  Use those objects to generate creative thinking games.


Completely random picture frame showing off
 my family in our early years.  :) 
Invite your children to tell a story that uses all of these items in the plot.  See how creative you can be!

Layout all the items, have them shut their eyes while you remove one, and then guess what’s missing.
Give your children play dough or clay and ask them to re-create one of those items.

Practicing wrapping the items (make sure you have plenty of recycled paper and tape!) and surprise each other with a “gift”.    

                         
One last idea:  Invite your children to pick one item, then come up with as many alternate uses for it.  (Remember the prop game from Whose Line it is Anyway?)

Note: After you try one of the ideas, keep the items together so the children can play with them.  Much of the learning occurs when they are able to come up with ideas on their own.  Just keep an ear out for their comments while you are busy doing something important, like, maybe, organizing the pots and pans.

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

NAEYC update!


So, DJ, how was the conference?  OMG!  I’ve been so busy with Thanksgivukkah, (the once-in-70,000- year-collision of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah) I never sat down to write about that week!  So much to catch up on, so little time!
For me, the highlight of my conference experience was the number of new friends I made walking through the expo.  First and foremost, I was thrilled to see Judy Mcguinn and Jay Lerman from Discount School Supply.  They’ve added some awesome new product lines and still have the same level of great customer service!  Did you know they have a huge line of products for children with special needs, too?  www.discountschoolsupply.com




I met Jonathon Freiden from Constructive Playthings. What a great guy!  They are committed to great customer service, and did a great job working with one of my directors right then and there. Never too busy to chat, Jonathon wants to help our schools, and encourages feedback about products and services. www.ustoyco.com.

I found such wonderful puzzles and fun games at ToutAboutToys. Linda Kahrs and hubby seek only the best open ended materials for their company.  They told me they are a small organization that wants to be your one-stop shop for school materials.  Check out their site to see what they have!  I spent lots of time (and money) in their booth, but loved what I found!  Check out this magnetic toy board.  www.ToutAboutToys.com


I fell in love with some new ideas for the classroom.  Kore Design has wobble chairs, which are great for helping wiggly people focus.  I WANT ONE!  Check it out! www.korestool.com

Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: cid:image018.jpg@01CEEF54.4FB44A70Joe Bonner at Happy Child has a wonderful new way to store nap mats.  I loved the idea.  Wish I had a school.  www.happychildproducts.com, use the code NAEYC2013 to get a 20% discount.



The folks at Community Playthings now have an outdoor shed that is awesome! www.communityplaythings.com/products/outdoor  OK, so it’s $3100, but hey, it comes with crates and a wheelbarrow!


If you have never been to a NAEYC conference, you owe it to yourself to go.  The next annual conference will be December 5-8, 2014 in Dallas, Texas!  I look forward to seeing y’all there!