My 2 Favorite Classroom Changes in 2011!

I don't know about you, but 2011 simply FLEW by!  Each month at school we put up a new linear calender and remarked..."I can't believe it's (fill in the month) already!"

And now, I simply can't believe it's the last day of 2011! 

So, with a VERY quick look back, here are the two things I am most happy about adding to our preschool experience this past year.

NUMBER 2...Bob the hamster!  I must say, we adopted a very smart and social little hamster.  He is patient and willing to allow multiple little hands to hold him and pet him.  And, I swear, he follows people around as he's rolling around in his ball! 

Number 1....We expanded our outdoor area...ahhhh...more room to move and explore!  I'm not sure I have to say much about this.  More space and items to explore leads to more language, social interaction, dramatic play opportunities, cooperation....you name it! 



Even though these two changes came at the very end of the year, it's easy to see how many of us were doing many things to lay the groundwork for each of these things throughout the year! 

We continually work on being gentle, kind and caring with each other and the children have begun to internalize this.  This set the stage for interactions with a small pet like Bob.

We met several times with our preschool director and collaborated on the outdoor area.  We brainstormed ways we could utilize the area we had...and dreamed up ways we could use a larger area!  We made it a mission to open up every area each day, no matter how inconvenient it was to open multiple locks on storage areas!  We were then ready to utilize a larger area and the children were ready to expand on their current ideas!

Hopefully, you too have some things that you are happy to have added, changed or expanded on at your school as well!   It's amazing how small things can add up to large changes very quickly!  So, here's to even more small, but significant changes in 2012!  Happy New Year!

Hmmm....Something to Think About!

Too often, especially in early childhood education, ideas are cycled around a general idea or area, and by the time they are used by most, the meaning behind them has been lost or simply diluted to the point that it is difficult to see the real "point" of the activity.

I'm guilty of this as well.  It's too easy and tempting to see an idea and repeat it without really questioning why we are doing the activity in the first place! 

Questioning the purpose behind the "cute" and "fun" activity is an important part of teaching!  Questioning why someone else is doing an activity with the children isn't an attack on them, at least not in my view.  And, to be quite honest, I often question because I LIKE the idea, I'm simply struggling with articulating why it should be done...or perhaps wondering if there is more to it that could be explored!

Questioning things is my way of learning more, of defining my beliefs more clearly and of challenging myself to think about things in a different way.  Perhaps I just teach in an environment where questioning why you are doing an activity is pretty common.  It may not be overt, but it is certainly under the surface of many interactions with other teachers, administrators and parents.

It is nearly impossible for me to plan activities or find activities that others have used or designed without questioning what the children will learn from the activity and what I would like the children to gain from this (short and/or long term). 

At one time, it was truly enough for a preschool teacher to say that an activity was simply "cute" or "fun" or "loved by the children" and this was enough to justify doing the activity.  Many more of us are teaching preschool in public school systems. 

This is simply nowhere near enough of an explanation for doing an activity!

When the children are using strips of colored paper and index cards with scissors (multiple kinds) my explanation is that one child is at the point of snipping with scissors so strips of paper gives him a way to see his progress (he can snip a piece and it falls off).  Another child is cutting across paper.  Index cards are stiffer offering more resistance and are less likely to fold over and collapse as he cuts across.  Another child is using adapted scissors in order to push down on a lever and snip since he doesn't yet have the muscle strength to use typical scissors. 

When the children are exploring sticks, twigs, acorns, pine cones and leaves in the sensory table and another teacher walks in and says "Should he really be playing with that?" I need to be able to articulate WHY I feel it is important that he does, indeed, play with that!  And, I also need to be able to point out that these same items are available outside all the time! 

When we're baking cookies and a child is manipulating cookie dough like play dough and another one is rolling the rolling pin across his head after rolling out the cookie dough, I need to be able to explain to those who work with me why it is NOT better to simply take the cookie dough and shape it for the child or take the rolling pin away from the child and do it for them!

When we are painting with q-tips or cotton balls or bath sponges and a parent stops to comment how "cute" the activity is, I simply comment that, yes, it is cute, and the children are working on fine motor skills while painting with q-tips, they are working to strengthen hand muscles and work those muscles needed for scissor snipping by using a clothespin to clip the cotton ball and paint and they are exploring the textures and variations of the bath sponges and experimenting with the types of prints these make.

Even with very open ended, child-initiated play, there can be a clear and defined reason for presenting certain materials.  Why would we open up every area in our outdoor classroom if we're pretty sure the children may not even explore the tree cookies?  Well, we want to make sure these are an OPTION for the children to explore!  If they are never available, how will we ever know if the children will explore them?  And one day they may surprise us by using these in a unique and wonderful way!

Perhaps where you teach, you ARE the administrator.  Perhaps you have the ability to do what you want, when you want!  I would still argue that you should question what the purpose is behind activities/ materials/decisions!  Go ahead!  Question yourself!  Question your colleagues!  Feel free to start a dialogue about things you feel strongly about!   

You just might find out something new about someone else!  You also may tap into an area someone knows more about than you do!  And you just may learn something new about yourself, your beliefs, and most importantly, you may grow as a teacher! 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

The dishes are done.  The leftovers stashed in plastic containers in the fridge. 

The gifts are unwrapped. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's time to relax.  OK, maybe relax, re-organize the house, re-organize some school stuff.  But mainly, relax!

OK, well, I do need to pay some bills, re-organize some school stuff, re-organize the house...and relax!  Mainly, relax!

Oh, but wait, I also need to clean out a closet, pay some bills, re-organize some school stuff, re-organize the house...and relax!  Yup, mainly, relax!

Good grief, how could I forget, I need to wash the dogs, clean out a closet, pay some bills, re-organize some school stuff, re-organize the house...and, then relax.  Mainly, relax.

Ugh...I'm exhausted thinking about my relaxing time off...I'm headed back to bed!  :)  Hope everyone is having a wonderful, relaxing holiday!

When Turning "Process-Art" Into "Product" Makes Sense!

Almost everything is about the "process" in my classroom!  We paint and create with various materials, tools and textures and enjoy exploring the process of painting and creating.  We dance and explore the process of moving our bodies.  We sing and explore the process and power of our vocal range, pitch and tempo. 

Talk about a sensory experience!  The feel of the tree, the smell of the gingerbread baby ornaments, the lights, the colors...oh my.   We may need to take a little sensory break after this experience! :)  Just realized how messy this looks...well, honesty is the best policy I suppose!

But, for highly concrete-thinking children, it often makes more SENSE to see an actual product.  Besides, I'm pretty sure the parents of the children in my classroom have pasted their walls and refrigerators (hopefully not the trash cans) with white pieces of paper covered in a thick, gooey layer of red, orange or yellow paint.  They may need a bit of a break from these wonderful paintings!

So, every once in a while, an idea for all these thick, gooey layers of paint papers pops into my head...and I run with it!  For several weeks now, the children have enjoyed using red paint on white paper...that's it....nothing else to it.  Simply red paint, white paper, various sized paint brushes and an easel!

Today, I cut all those large pieces of paper into smaller rectangles.  I also cut rectangles from red construction paper.  I stapled these in a brick pattern on our bulletin board to make a "fireplace".  I just had to add a rope light around it as well, as it simply wasn't bright enough already!

So, tomorrow, while we're sitting by the "fireplace" reading books (since it is the book area after all) we'll be able to talk about all the papers that THE CHILDREN painted to help make that fireplace!  

                                        

The idea of a "fireplace" will make sense to them, since this is often in stories involving the holidays.  It will hold some meaning to them and they will be interested in talking about it.  But, best of all, the children have also become an integral part of the creation of this "product".   And, because of this it holds more meaning and is more personalized.  So, even though I think it is important to embrace allowing the children to explore the process, sometimes it really does make sense to turn some of those process-art pieces into a product!

** Shared on the Rainbows Within Reach Happy Birthday Linkie :) **

Ever Have One of ThOsE Days?

Ever have one of those days?  You know the type of day I'm talking about!  The day that starts out deceivingly well...then quickly takes a nosedive! 

Yep, you couldn't see if on their faces.  You couldn't hear it in their voices.  You just didn't know that every single child in my classroom was silently planning to self destruct within fifteen minutes of entering the classroom today! 

So, here's how it started.  Our first little guy made his way off the bus with my associate and into the classroom.  I started the day like I do every day with him.  A verbal prompt to unzip his coat.  A picture prompt to unzip his coat.  And wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Then tears.  Lot's of tears.  Tears streaming, lip quivering.  How could you POSSIBLY expect me to unzip my coat?!  (yes, he is perfectly capable of unzipping his coat)  A few more minutes of waiting, crying, waiting...then, a small hand decides, finally, to unzip the darn coat!

Whew!  We climbed that obstacle, we're out of the woods, ready to get back on track and have a great day!  Oh, but wait, we've made it to the table.  We're eating our breakfast.  Another little one decides to turn around multiple times in her chair and ends up spilling her breakfast (not enough to warrant immediate clean-up though).  I remind her to "turn around and eat your breakfast".  Tears, lots of tears!  More tears!  I have now successfully, somehow, made two children cry in less than 15 minutes!

The crying subsides and we move on with our day.  A little guy walks past his friend to go to the carpet and reaches out and grabs the friend!  No, not in a gentle, let's play kind of way!  My guess is this little guy was upset that I had to charge my Mp3 player and the music was not playing.  Well, believe me, if there was any way I could have milked a few last bits of juice out of that rechargeable battery for the Mp3 player, I would have!!  Nope, it was dead.  And here we are with two children who have cried and a child who is trying to hurt his friend...and it's 8:35 in the morning. 

Yep, great way to start a Monday morning!  Let's hope tomorrow starts off a bit better!

(Just a note:  The two children who cried were clearly not feeling well today.  Of course, they had no temperature...so they stayed at school.  One of these children also was sent home sick last Friday!  The other child was yawning uncontrollably all afternoon and flopped on his cot the moment it was out!  We also had multiple other children with stuffed up noses, hyper sensitive to sounds and general tiredness.  Ugh!  I am tempted to come to work tomorrow in a full body Hazmat suit!)

Gingerbread Baby Ornaments!

Well, we just had so much fun playing with our lazy gingerbread play dough all week, I just knew we couldn't end the week without attempting just one more experiment with this!  (Actually, I had been waiting all week to try this and see if it would work!)
 

So, the children worked diligently with my teacher associates to create many different large and small gingerbread "babies" with the play dough.  We then poked holes in them with a pencil and popped them in the oven!

Yep, we peeked a few times.  Thank goodness no gingerbread babies escaped during the baking process!  I wasn't quite sure whether we would end up with gingerbread cookies or gingerbread ornaments.  Of course, the goal was gingerbread ornaments, as the children have handled the play dough all week!  There is no way anyone is tasting this at this point!

We started out in a low oven 200 degrees.  We baked for about 15-20 min.  I flipped the gingerbread babies over and turned up the heat to about 350 degrees.  We baked them for another 15-20 min. then pulled them out.

I think next time, we will try a 200 degree oven for just a longer period of time.  But, what we did here seemed to work.  You may need to experiment a bit more with this one.  A few of the gingerbread ornaments seemed just a bit soft still in the middle when done.  

Now, I must warn you, the smell in the office as these gingerbread babies were baking was almost too much to take!  Do NOT be surprised if someone tries to take a bite out of one!  They smelled delicious! 

Monday, we will make, bake and hang some more gingerbread babies.  My hope is that the ones that were hung on Friday are holding up!  When I left on Friday, they seemed like they would do fine.  Monday, we may add some glitter to our dough to brighten it up a bit! 

So, this time we REALLY baked the gingerbread babies...and ended up with gingerbread ornaments!

**Shared on Link and Learn -Kids Crafts and Early Learning **

Best Loose Parts We've Found Yet!!

I've realized that I haven't posted much at all about our outdoor classroom for a VERY long time! We had hit a bit of a road bump...(um...major mountain) for a bit (yep, we've hit several of these)!  We were literally out of room!  We had no area to add room for the children to really make use of any loose parts....every single bit of space was occupied by something!  

Thanks to our early childhood director, and her ability to track down some funds for this, we were able to expand the fenced area to give us some room to move and explore!  It is not a huge area, but it is perfect for us! 

We want this space to be an area that the children and adults who will be utilizing it will help to design.  We also want space in order to allow the children to manipulate the loose parts (both large and small).  So, with this idea in mind, we have only added one permanent structure (a large, wonderful playhouse) to the area so far. 

And then, something wonderful happened!  A co-worker somehow convinced her boyfriend (whose family owns a farm) to track down and deliver multiple large and smaller "spools" used for electrical wires!  It truly is amazing what a few new materials can do!


The children were completely engaged!  They rolled the spools, they set up "tables" and "pretended to eat", they stood on the spools and looked for "Wal-mart", they used the spools as drums and made music by banging on them with sticks.


The children were ready to design this area on their own...with just a few spools and some sticks!  The spools were brought into the playhouse several times (rolled in and then set up as a table several times....simply rolled right through several other times).  They also clearly enjoyed the vantage point of standing on top of the spools and looking out!  They each had grown a foot in a matter of minutes!

We have a few ideas running around for this area, some discussions to have with the children about the area and some crossing of fingers about funding for a few things (and many, many, many DIY ideas to try out as well)!  By the spring time, we would like to have the children actively engaged in helping to design and make some of the things for this area.  By spring, we are hopeful that we can also get some parents involved in the process of designing this.  Oh, what a little space, some imagination and some larger than life spools will do!

*NOTE:  Thanks Meaghan Leggins for taking the photos.  You can check out some of Meaghan's other photos HERE.
*NOTE:  If you would like to see a few more photos of our recent outdoor excitement with these spools as well as the children assisting to move a truckload of mulch head on over HERE!

**Shared on Outdoor Play Link Up!**

The Little Blog That Could!

One year...and one day ago, I posted the "welcome" post for this blog.  As I often do when starting new things, I had previously started a blog...kept up with it for several months...and stopped!  It took me just several months more to decide that I missed the idea of this and felt I had more to learn and gain from doing this!  So, I started up again!

Although, at first, I wasn't really sure what my goals were for this blog, I quickly came to realize that this blog was a wonderful way for me to reflect on my own teaching, to keep me interested and learning new things and a way to challenge my ideas and stretch my thinking on certain issues!  Now, my reasons were not ALL selfish...although, I can admit that probably more were than were not!

Unselfishly, It offered me a platform to provide other people with simply ideas to use with young children.  In fact, what I put down on 'paper' here are many of the simple ideas and things I wish I had known when I first began teaching (especially ideas related to teaching children with significant special needs).  I realize that there are many, many wonderful people teaching and caring for young children. 

Some people have more training than others.  Some people have more people to collaborate with than others.  Some people may even feel isolated and overwhelmed!  I think it often helps to break things down and provide quick, simple and do-able activities, adaptations for children who need them and explorations for all young children.  When we're overwhelmed, we need ideas....and we need them NOW!

This little blog is certainly not the biggest early childhood blog or site!  I like to think of it as "The Little Blog That Could"!  We just keep chugging along!  I have definitely benefited from the kindness of other early childhood bloggers, especially Deborah over at Teach Preschool!  Each time she posts a link to one of my ideas, I know so many more people read it than normally would!  So, a great big THANK YOU to Deborah :) 

For all of you who read this blog from time to time (and, of course, those who read regularly!), I truly hope you are inspired to try something new, find a way to include ALL children (those with and without special needs) in your simple exploration and activities or just enjoy following along with what we do in the classroom! 

If you are one of those people who feel a bit isolated and don't feel the resources you need are necessarily available, I hope you have found the early childhood blogs (not JUST mine) have provided you with a place to learn and inspiration to try new ideas!  And if you have plenty of resources, collaboration and training, I hope you find that sometimes simple really is a great way to go with young children. 

For many of our children at the early childhood level (especially those with significant cognitive delays); simple exploration, play skills, social skills, language and communication and self-help skills can not be overlooked!  These are so very, very important!

So, a great big THANK YOU to all of you who read this little blog!  A great big THANK YOU to all of you who leave comments (I do love reading and responding to them)!  And a great big THANK YOU for all the wonderful work you do with young children!

Pam    

Baking the Gingerbread Babies!

I wasn't so sure about my lazy gingerbread playdough last night....I still wasn't quite sure about it this morning...but after playing with it with the kids this afternoon, I was quite pleased!  

It basically is a very, very thick and stretchy cookie dough type of material!  It really is not quite like playdough and not quite like cookies!  I'm not sure what was in the gingerbread mix that I used, but it is a very interesting consistency!  It holds it's shape, rolls out, you can make snakes and balls just like playdough, but feels more like cookie dough!  Oh, and today, it smells JUST like gingerbread cookies!  (yesterday it didn't smell quite as good)

It was perfect to roll out with rolling pins and with cookie cutters. We pulled out the "cookie sheets" and made many, many "gingerbread babies" as the kids call them (we just read the Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett last week). 

After we rolled and cut out the gingerbread babies, we took them over to the pretend oven, popped them in and turned on the oven! The kids enjoyed putting them into the oven and taking them out. 

Tomorrow I think I may suggest we re-read parts of the the Gingerbread Baby so we can act some of this out with the gingerbread babies we make!  Today, we simply didn't have enough time before nap/rest time to begin this.  (Besides, Bob was begging to come out and play, so we had to make time for hamster play as well!).  But tomorrow we'll expand on our gingerbread baking we started today! 

Another Lazy Playdough Recipe...This Time for Gingerbread Playdough

Do you remember when I decided to make the Lazy Teachers Chocolate (hot cocoa) Playdough...well, I'm again not even ATTEMPTING to cover the fact that this is a seriously lazy way to make gingerbread playdough.  Although, it didn't save me quite as much time as the chocolate playdough, the end product seems almost like a mix between playdough and cookie dough or something (and I think the kids will love that fact!).

For the lazy version of gingerbread playdough, I found a box of Pillsbury Gingerbread Mix on sale for $1.60 or so.  (around the holidays, it is quite cheap).  That's why  I decided to experiment with using the mix as a base for playdough.

Here's what I used:

1 box dry gingerbread mix
1 cup water
apx. 1 1/2 cup flour
several tablespoons oil
To be quite honest, I realized that we had no liquid oil- only cooking spray (ok, I forgot to get more while I was at the store!)...yep, you guessed it, I sprayed about 2 tablespoons cooking spray into the pan.  I'm sure it would work better with liquid cooking oil

I cooked this for several minutes (watch the bottom though, it did want to stick- and BE CAREFUL- if you overcook it starts smelling more like burned gingerbread!)

I then took it out of the pan and kneaded in handfuls of flour until the consistency became like playdough (I actually ended up putting in a bit too much flour I think). 

Now, this kneads and squeezes, and pulls and rolls just like playdough; but it smells and feels more like a cookie dough.  I will bet anything that SOMEONE eats some of it! :)  I think it will be great to use with cookie cutters and cookie sheets, our pretend oven, spatulas and cookie drying racks etc.! 

I love the fact that it seems more like cookie dough than playdough...but it holds it's shape like playdough.  The smell though is not quite as good as the regular gingerbread playdough.  You may want to experiment with adding spices to it.  I'm going to make the regular gingerbread playdough for my class next week.  We'll have to see which version they like best! 

NOTE: I did NOT put anything in to preserve the playdough (Alum or Cream of Tarter). I plan on keeping this in my room ONLY for this week, so I think we'll be OK.  If you want to keep it longer- similar to playdough- I would add a tablespoon of Alum. 

*Also- it did seem to start drying out quickly, but I really think this is happening because I actually didn't use enough oil with the spray.  I plan on covering this and storing it in the refrigerator when not in use.  Let me know if your dries out quickly if you try this version! 

Bob the Hamster...dot blogspot dot com...

My second contribution to the collaborative blog PreK and K Sharing was posted this morning.  I decided to focus on three easy to implement and simple ways to increase communication in children who struggle to communicate with others.  Since I posted several very cute pics of the kids with Bob the hamster in that post...I wanted to make sure I posted some here as well! 

We've seen several children attempting to communicate more and in more detail since Bob the hamster has joined our classroom.  This is wonderful!!  I'm not sure I can convey how pleased I am with how well the children have been doing with such a tiny animal!  I was a bit worried initially about impulsive behaviors and a tiny creature...and the accidental squishing that may happen! 

My mom suggested that maybe Bob should be called a "therapy hamster" (you know...therapy dog...therapy hamster)."  If I continue to hear as much language from one little guy about Bob as I did this week, I soon may have to agree. 

When Bob wants to come out of his house, he climbs the walls!

A co-worker suggested I start a blog for Bob...I think she suggested bobthehamster.blogspot.com!  OK, seriously people, don't type that in...there is no blog for Bob!  It is an interesting idea though!  I'll let you know if I decide to write a blog from Bob's perspective!  Oh, just thinking about that makes me laugh! 

So, this wasn't the most enlightening blog post ever, but I hope it was at least a bit entertaining!  Just imagine several children coming into the classroom all saying "Bob?", "Bob?"...well, nice to see you too!  Sure, just pass right by me and hurry on over to say good morning to Bob...he's climbing the walls of his house, just waiting for you to feed him peanuts! 

"Hey Mom...I Met Bob Today!"

Sadly, on April 30, 2013, we said goodbye to our little hamster, Bob :(

So, we named him Bob.  The hamster, that is.  His name is Bob.  How that got started I'm not quite sure.  I think it had something to do with the fact that one of my teacher associates said, "I want to name him Bob!"  Soon all the kids were asking to see "Bob", pointing at Bob's cage, asking why Bob was sleeping, gasping as they yelled "Uh oh, Bob!" as he was climbing the side of his house and hanging from the ceiling. 

So, apparently, his name is Bob.  Bob quickly made himself at home in his new environment by climbing up the side of his house and 'begging' to be let out and given treats.  How does a hamster beg for these things?  Well, I wish I had a picture of it.  He literally climbs up the side of his house and across the ceiling and sometimes dangles from the top until someone comes up to his house.  Then he climbs down and out the door if you open it!  Yep, that's our little Bob! 

Bob made a brief appearance after breakfast to be petted since he freaked a few of the kids out with his gymnastics in his house!  He then made two trips to visit other classrooms and did very well!  He was gently petted by almost 40 children today....and lived to tell the story (well, technically, I'M telling the story...but, I'm sure he would if he could!)

When Bob came back from his visit to the other classrooms, one of the little guys in my room, pointed to Bob in his house, looked at me, pointed at the door and said, "No take Bob on walk!, No take Bob on walk."  Clearly they are all very excited that this is THEIR hamster....not the other classroom's hamster!

One of my teacher associates offered to knit Bob a tiny scarf as he may want to ride a tiny motorcycle and have the wind blow through his hair.  She also offered to make him a tiny leash so he can walk down the hall with us.  Perhaps we are taking this a bit too far!  We did, however, have to tell him "night, night" at nap time and wave to him as we were walking out the door at the end of the day.  

I have a feeling I may get a few questioning notes from parents asking who exactly is this new guy Bob?!  Bob?  Well, Bob is a few inches long, is furry, cute little nose, whiskers and likes to do gymnastics! 

Two Great Blogger Awards! One Big Thanks!

Oh my!  Time really does just fly by.  Ok, that's really not an excuse!  Quite a while ago I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger award by two great people!  I started this post and never quite finished or published it.  So now that I saw that Vanessa from Pre-K Pages nominated me for the Kreative Blogger award, I wanted to make sure to thank all 3 people and pass these along to some of the other great blogs out there! 

So, first, thank you so much Ayn at Little Illuminations and Leeanne at Kreative Resources for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger award!  (Yes, I know, this was quite awhile ago!  Yikes!  Better late than never!)

And, Vanessa from Pre-K Pages, thank you for nominating me for the Kreative Blogger award! 

All three of these sites are such wonderful sources of ideas and inspiration; I was excited to be nominated by all three of these great people!   Thanks guys :) 

7 things about me:

1.  I tend to procrastinate... (ahem...not unlike what I did with this blog post :) 

2.  I think finding ways to adapt items for use by all children is great fun!  (puts to use those Dollar Store and Goodwill finds!

3.  I have two sons age 18 and 21.

4.  I've recently found that I actually enjoy doing mini-home improvements! Who would have  known!?
5.  We have 2 dogs, a cat and a hamster in our house currently!  (the hamster is heading to school soon)
6.  My husband and I are both teachers.  My mom and dad are retired teachers...and my grandmother was a teacher! :) 

7.  Shh...don't tell anyone, but twitter really drives me a bit crazy!  How can you focus on one thing with all those itty bitty bits of thoughts floating around!?

There are SOOO many blogs out there that are wonderful!  It was REALLY tough to narrow this list of great blogs down!  But, here we go:  A few of my favorite blogs!  (and, yes, my interests are diverse!)

I'm giving the Versatile Blogger Award to:

1. Kate at Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs! 

2. Juliet at I'm A Teacher, Get Me OUTSIDE Here! 

3. Tom at Sand and Water Tables! 

4. Crystal from Surviving a Teacher's Salary! 

5. Melissa at The Chocolate Muffin Tree!
6. Debbie from Rainbows within Reach!
7.  Time For Play!

And the Kreative Blogger Award to:

1. MaryLea at Pink and Green Mama!
2. Jenny at Let the Children Play!

3. Maria at Casa Maria's Creative Learning Zone!

4. Rachelle at TinkerLab!
5. Amy at Child Central Station! 
6. Brenda from Early Childhood Education and Common Sense!
7. Karen at Flights of Whimsy!
**Guidelines for passing on the Versatile Blogger award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you. Thanks Ayn and Leeanne!
2. Share 7 things about yourself (see above)
3. Pass the award on to 10 other bloggers. (again, see above)
4. Contact the other bloggers to let them know they have been nominated.

**How the Kreative Blogger Award process works:

List seven things about yourself (see above) and give the award to ten other bloggers (and, yet again, see above!) Thank the person who nominated you. Thanks Vanessa!

Now on to the Edublog awards!  Good grief...got to stop procrastinating! :)

Supporting Communication Through Simple Exploration

So, what do you do while enjoying simple exploration with young children who don't yet have much (or any) verbal communication?  Do you sit around the table silently?!  Hopefully not!  Do the adults all carry on conversations about their favorite holiday shopping!? Hopefully not often...or at least briefly!  What should adults be doing to support
communication while engaging in simple exploration with children?

We often use communication books and/or voice output devices with the children during the day.  But with very young children, I've found that attempting to use a communication book AND fully explore a new item, painting, cutting or gluing is a bit much to handle!  Therefore, I find that simply naturally and incidentally supporting communication during these explorations allows them to stay focused on their work and keeps their hands free.   (simple Boardmaker pictures or a simple Boardmaker board focused on the activity can be incorporated easily and simply placed on the table.)

The communication during simple exploration often starts off very one sided!  I generally start by simply commenting on something I see or notice: "Wow, looks like you are going to paint the BIG pumpkin!" 

Often, when we're asking children with limited language/understanding or those who need more time to process information to DO something ex. "wash hands", "sit down" etc., it is preferable to limit the unneeded words so the child can focus on what truly needs to be done. 

But, I always want to model natural language as much as possible as well!  Therefore, during our exploration, I use complete sentences and often emphasize words that a child may want to use to 'jump off of' to hold up their end of the communication.  (Ex. BIG)

I also use simple sign language or point to picture supports for important or descriptive words along with verbally saying them. 

As well as providing the communication support, I use my own materials to explore along with the children.  In this way, I can comment on something I'm doing or simply model self-talk.  Ex.  "Hmmm...maybe I should use YELLOW paint now!"  (Caution:  I have a little guy who now says "hmmm" each time he turns the pages of his communication book...be careful what you model!  :)

Here's an example of communication I may support during pumpkin painting: 

ME:  "Wow, looks like you are going to paint the BIG pumpkin!"  another child looks up and says "baby" and points to her pumpkin.  I could continue:  "Yep!  You're painting a baby pumpkin!  It's very SMALL." (I would sign 'baby', 'pumpkin' and 'small' while saying and emphasizing these words) 

Child points to pumpkin and then to the color she is using in her container.  "Oh, you're painting your baby pumpkin PURPLE!"  (I would sign 'purple' as well as say it)  Child signs "purple" and points to her friend who is also using purple paint for his pumpkin.  "Oh my!  TWO PURPLE PUMPKINS?!...how silly!"  (I would point to each pumpkin as I say two and sign purple and pumpkin)

At this point, the two children may smile at each other, switch paintbrushes, paint each others pumpkins or interact in some other way.  This is usually my clue that the conversational turns have ended and the children want to communicate with each other. 

I may then have to switch to 'translation' mode :) and simply watch the two children to assist them in communicating with each other. 

**Of course, it is important to tailor the talk to the level of understanding the child has.  It's important to know the children very well and simply work on extending and expanding the children's communication.  The above example is of a child with good receptive language and the knowledge of some simple sign langauge.**

I think sometimes we get stuck in the idea that a communication book always needs to be used when a child has very limited verbal language!  Keep in mind all the GLOBAL ways a person can communicate!  (pointing, gesturing, signing, eye contact/eye gaze, grunting, screaming, crying, laughing, single words or parts of words etc.)  We want children to be able to focus on and attend to truly exploring new objects as well as communication!

This is just a very simple and natural way to make the most of those super simple explorations by assisting the children in communicating about their experiences!

PreK and K Sharing...Have You Checked it Out Yet?

So, have you heard yet?  There are some wonderful early childhood ideas over at the new blog PreK and K Sharing!  If you haven't visited yet, you really should pop on over to read a few of the first posts from people interested in so many different aspects of early childhood! 

This is truly a site devoted to all sorts of early childhood experiences!  It's also a wonderful place for so many visitors!   Below is just a sampling of what has been posted so far!  These first posts have been introductions from the authors...but definitely have a wealth of information inside each post!  Come check them out!

1. If you teach Montessori (or would like to know more...or would like to implement Montessori inspired work in your room) you may want to check out THIS!
2. If you need ideas for music and movement or would like to use visuals with music, you may want to check out THIS!
3. If your school is implementing data teams and you are looking for quick ways to assess academic learning with your kindergarten students, you may want to check out THIS!
4. If you're interested in storytelling and story play with young children you may want to check out THIS!
5. Would you like more literacy ideas?  Check out THIS!
6. Would you like to learn more about the study of the brain, how young children learn and what young children need in order to grow and develop to their fullest?  Then check THIS out!
7. Would you like ideas to help children relax and calm their bodies?  (I think I need this sometimes :)  Then check out THIS!
8. Would you like some ideas for great go-to books for preschool children?  Then head over HERE!
9. Would you like ideas for working with and activities for mixed age groups?  Then check out THIS!
10. Would you like some simple and exciting ideas and activities for young children?  Then hop on over HERE!
11. Oh, and LOL...just in case you haven't seen MY TOP 10 Reasons I love teaching early childhood and my favorite super simple activities from the last year...check THIS out!
12. And last, but certainly not least, would you like to meet Debbie Clement (who started this great blog) and see some great music and dancing?  Well, check out this POST!

Now, remember, these are just SOME of the first posts!!!  There will be MANY more and SO many more contributors who have NOT YET POSTED an introduction post!  So, don't just take my word for it!  Head on over!  You may find some new favorite blogs, new favorite ideas and inspiration and meet some new people interested in early childhood! Stop back to learn something new!  Implement a new idea you love in your own room!  And then check back for even more blog posts from even MORE early childhood people!! 

It's All About Trust!

It's tough to trust.  I have been talking and giving treats to our little "Peanut" for the last few weeks at home now.  So... are you wondering who Peanut is?  Peanut is our new little classroom hamster I purchased with a coupon from Pets In The Classroom (I got his cage and toys for free as well)!  I figure when I bring him into the classroom we'll decide between the name "Peanut" and "Pumpkin", as he clearly LOVES to eat peanuts and pumpkin seeds!

Yes, I was taking these photos AND holding Peanut!  He got so brave while I was
snapping photos that he climbed right up to my head!! and down my back!!! 

This afternoon was the FIRST time he climbed right on to my hand...and promptly nibbled on my finger...he clearly was still a bit worried about things!  After I recovered from nearly dropping him, he peeked out from his burrow to see if I was still patiently waiting for him and came right back up to the open door and sniffed!  His curiosity got the better of him! 

Eating a peanut...on my hand! :)

He climbed right out and onto my hand, stood on his back legs and sniffed at me!  Yesterday, he was even brave enough to come and climb on the side of his cage and sniff at my dog's nose!!  Silly hamster...that's pretty dangerous territory!  My hand is clearly safer than the dog's nose!

By the way, Peanut is a "Winter White" hamster.  As it gets colder,
his fur is supposed to start turning white!

Peanut has been hanging out at my house for the past month or so.  Before I trudged to school with a scared little hamster, I wanted to make sure he felt he knew and could trust at least one person!  I think we're just about ready to make the dangerous trip to the classroom!  Of course, people are a lot more complicated than hamsters, but, really, it's still all about trust!


Please don't fall, please don't fall, please don't fall!

I have some children in my classroom who have a tough time trusting.  I have one little guy who often will peek into the room after I've been gone for a day...just to make sure I'm back where I belong in the classroom! 

Run little guy, run!

I witnessed this little guy literally hang on to the doorway screaming as his parent tried to drop him off for school one day (this was when I had a month off during the summer- don't ask...it's the schedule we're given).  This was the last day that I was gone on vacation.  I technically was just dropping stuff off, but felt so bad, that I simply sat holding this little guy for about 10 min. until he finally calmed down, looked at me and smiled.  I swear, he was so upset I don't think he even knew who was sitting with him until he calmed down!



 He's climbing on my shoulder!  How DID I get this photo!?

We really do need to look at it though from the point of view of a child with VERY limited language, communication and understanding of the world around them!  With no language to tell anyone that they are scared, worried and upset that their routine is disrupted, they feel a bit lost!  Their equilibrium is clearly off.  They rely on all those very subtle cues throughout the day...that change when someone new is in the room.

To top that off, they are not sure WHO this person is or why I am gone, or why their routine is interrupted, or why their world feels a bit off, or IF this person will KNOW that they need assistance with certain things!  And, good grief, this person isn't able to understand their unspoken communication!  As much as we work on communication in all forms (communication books, sign, voice output etc.) it is so much more difficult when it is someone you don't know well!

Yep, it's tough to trust...especially when you have very limited ways to communicate.  Before assuming that a child's reaction is a BEHAVIOR...remember, that they may simply be attempting to communicate that they are scared, worried, unsure, confused.  They may need reassurance and understanding and lots and lots of patience!

You've Got To Start Somewhere!

I've been helping out a friend recently who is new to teaching; who is new to special education in particular.  Because of this, I started thinking about all the ways teachers can (but often don't) assist new teachers!

I've had quite a few student teachers come through my classroom.  When you think about it, though, student teaching is often very different than that first year of teaching!  Student teachers often HELP with paperwork, assessments, IEP's and conferences; but, they are never completely responsible for this.  It is still up to the cooperating teacher to make sure things go smoothly, that things are written correctly and that things are done on time.

That first year in the classroom can be just a bit overwhelming!  No longer are you responsible only for the children; but for managing multiple things (paperwork, IEP's, assessments, computer work) with little assistance from others.  This can definitely be overwhelming!  Of course, there are mentors and your teaching team to help when needed.  Unfortunately, many times, new teachers feel that asking for assistance may come across in the wrong way! 

Here are a few things I think all of us, no matter how much teaching experience we have, can do to help those who are newer than ourselves!

1. Offer time to brainstorm ideas and solutions to problems!  Often simply talking out a stressful or challenging situation can bring clarity and several possible solutions!
2. Offer to help create things.  New teachers are often overwhelmed with the responsibility and paperwork alone!  Creating simple games, props, picture prompts or assessment tools can be a great help! 
3. If you have previous knowledge or training in an area that may be helpful; offer to provide a quick overview of how things work!  Often just walking through something can ease the burden!
4. Share!  Share ideas, Internet resources, assessment tools, other resources etc.  Don't be stingy!  Those things are doing very little good if they are only benefiting one person and a few children!  Look at the big picture!  By sharing these resources, you are making an impact on more children than those in your own classroom!
5. Continue to ask if help is needed!  Most of us would like to think we don't need any help and have things completely under control...until we don't! 
6. And always, always remember that you were once there as well!  Remember that we are all learning!  Remember that by teaching and assisting others you can continue learning as well!  And, finally, remember that it is always OK to simply suggest asking someone with more expertise or with training in a specific area!  You don't have to be the go-to person for everything!

For some odd reason, it seems that many teachers feel sharing these resources hurts them in some way!  WE'RE TEACHERS for goodness sake!  People learn from each other!  Be a resource to others!  Try not to fall into the complaining sessions that sometimes happen  (and if you do, just make sure something positive is coming from it)!