Once Upon a Time: Storytelling at the Heart of Early Literacy Development
As early childhood educators, one of our many great privileges is to witness, guide, and celebrate children’s early literacy development. From sharing in the blossoming of spoken language in infancy to documenting their first experiences making marks on paper as young toddlers, to the beloved picture books read aloud in our preschool classrooms each day, we play an integral role in supporting children’s journey toward becoming readers and writers. Beyond discussions of kinder
3D Earth Care Empathy
“Do you like trash thrown on you?” The 3 to 5 year olds responded a resounding “NO!!” I had just put some (clean) recycled items such as envelope pieces, aluminum foil, plastic on each of the 19 preschoolers. Next I laid down on the floor explaining I was pretending to be the earth, holding a small rubber globe. I asked them to take the trash that had been put onto them and place it on me acting as the earth as though they were littering. There was no asking a second time. Th
Connecting Young Gifted Learners to Nature
While I believe nature school experiences are important for all children, they are especially beneficial for children who fall outside the mainstream in terms of behavior, temperament or intellect. Dr. Leigh Ann Fish and Dr. Patti Ensel Bailie, from the University of Maine in Farmington, presented at the World of Wonder conference in August 2018 on engaging Gifted Learners in outdoor play. They highlighted the ways that time in nature provides for gifted learners both essenti
