Happy New Year!

Today is the day that many of us set intentions or create resolutions for ourselves for the coming year. We examine the past year and take a retrospective look at ourselves and our work with children and families. We bring into focus what is most important and try to reorient our work and personal lives in that direction.

Each year I select an individual word that captures my intention, and put a lot of thought and focus in deciding the word. (Drum roll please…)For 2019 my word is:

PLAY

As an early childhood educator I feel that I have taken on a new role as a “Protector of Play”. I haven’t yet made a cape or designed an action hero costume, but I feel a sewing project coming on soon!

We know that ample research shows that play is an essential part of the healthy development of children. We know that child-directed play is a primary contributor to the mental, physical, and social-emotional wellbeing of our children. Yet as teachers or care providers of young children we feel like we need to continue to defend the rights of children to have time to play. WHY?

Sadly, time for play has been eroded away for most children and it’s time to take a stand for PLAY!

Outdoor play, unstructured play, open ended art, and play for all ages…

I won’t get on my soapbox today, but I am eager to share specific strategies for how to put PLAY at the center of the curriculum. And will also be reminding you that grown ups need PLAY and self-care to make 2019 the best year yet!

 

 

 

April’s Teaching Tree is excited to announce that we will be partnering up with the Vermont Creative Schools Initiative (CSI). April Zajko will be the Early Childhood Educational Consultant for the CSI Teacher Institute for the 2019-2020 school year. The institute will have a tailored strand for teams of teachers in grades preschool – 3^rd grade, and we are actively recruiting Vermont schools who would like to be involved.

Teams of teachers attend a week-long professional development institute the last week of June and then meet again for a fall retreat. Teachers are able to earn three graduate credits for their participation. Teams also get to work closely with national leaders in the field of curriculum integration to learn how art and creativity can be woven throughout the school day for children. Schools then get to partner with teaching artists and receive either a 7 or 10 day teaching artist residency.

During the 2016-2017 school year I was able to attend the Creative Schools Initiative Institute with a team of teachers from the school that I was working for at the time. The CSI experience helped me reorient the focus of my classroom to be a hub of creative play, curiosity, engagement and open ended exploration….and helped re-awaken my creativity and passion for teaching.

For more information about the Vermont Creative Schools Initiative check out this link: https://www.communityengagementlab.org/teacher-institute

 

 

 

Sometimes it’s the simplest of ideas that spark the best learning opportunities for young children. Inspiring children to create their own nature collections is one of those simple ideas that can be revisited throughout the year. On our fall walks I often bring a large under the bed type storage bin and we gather treasures to bring back to our classroom. 

For the last decade I have had the pleasure of teaching preschool in Vermont. And if you know anything about Vermont (or New England) one of the most beautiful times of year is autumn. People flock from all over the world to come ‘leaf peeping’ so it’s fun to show children this beautiful display of color that is unfolding right in front of our eyes!

 

1. Go for “autumn walks” to gather treasures from nature. These first walks of the school year are memorable because the children are just getting to know our outdoor space and beginning to find all the JOY that is waiting for them to discover among the trees. Bringing nature into our classroom is a great way to all nature to take ‘center stage’ of our curriculum and having an ongoing nature collection is wonderful way to offer natural loose parts for children to explore in an open ended way. 

2. Invite the children to bring nature materials into our classroom from their own backyards at home. It helps them to have ownership and increasing their sense of belonging to the classroom. In my classroom I no longer do a traditional ‘show and tell’ because it quickly turns into ‘bring and brag’. Instead, I like to suggest that children bring in items they have found in nature and invite them to add to “Nature Collection Table” all year. Children love visiting this part of our classroom and spend lots of time investigating the treasures. They recognize materials that THEY  brought back from our walks or that they brought in from home.

3. Take photos of your “Nature Collection Table” as well as pictures of the children gathering materials on your walk. Keep a sort of scrapbook either in the that area or in the classroom library. The children can see the changes in the themselves and the seasonal changes that occur throughout the year. By the end of the school year, compare the fall photos and the spring photos ~ what changes over time have occurred in the children and in outdoor space. This is building in a love of nature and helps children connect to their own journeys in nature.

No outdoor space nearby to walk children to? No worries…below is a sample handout that I print out and send home with my students. I attach it to a small brown paper lunch bag, and give the family about a week or two to return it filled. Again, a simple idea but one that encourages families to put down the cell phone and to head outdoors! Children beam when they bring back their filled bag, and are eager to spread out the treasures and chat about what they found!

No indoor space to have an ongoing “Nature Collection Table”? No worries…consider keeping the collection in a tote that has a lid. Children can request to get it out during free choice time and to add things whenever they find a treasure they want to add to the collection. For mixed aged programs, a nature tote can help make this project more manageable. 

Not interested in clean up for an indoor “Nature Collection Table”? No worries…have your collection stay outside. Perhaps incorporate it into a mud kitchen or make a special ‘museum’ for children to add to!

Happy gathering!

~April

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Homework: Fall Nature Collection

Dear Preschool Families.

We would like to give our students some outdoor ‘homework’ this week. We hope this encourages your whole family to go outside in the fresh autumn air to explore nature together.

Please take this bag along with you as explore so you can collect a variety of fall treasures to share with friends at school. Be sure to talk about the changes you see in your backyard and talk about how things look different from the summer. Point out the many colors of leaves, and smell the aromas of fall.

We will explore these treasures during the next few weeks, so please return their filled bag by _______________. We will gather all the materials together to compare and contrast what all the children found. We will use the ‘loose parts’ to build, explore, and play with by doing a variety of activities during the week. (NO MUSHROOMS PLEASE!)

Thanks for participating!

Miss April 

 

 

 

I like to have several different kits made up ahead of time that I can easily grab and go on beautiful weather days. Nothing quite says spring to me than a picnic blanket and some simple art projects! (The picture linked here is from a community gathering where we made memory pages for a family that was moving away. The actual art to go kits are much smaller but I don’t have pictures to link YET.)

Ascetically I like to use wicker baskets for bringing out the goodies. Though in my teacher storage area I use cardboard shoe boxes, plastic sweater boxes, or small fabric totes to assemble my “grab and go” items.

The “Art Centers To Go” are also great to use indoors for multi-age programs that need quick to set up and cleanup activities to use while younger children nap.

I also love these “art centers to go” as gifts for children or families. Imagine the fun of having a pre-made kit for a car trip, the kiddo waiting for their sibling’s soccer practice, or for a fun project at the hotel.

Be sure to pack enough materials that the number of children creating can be engaged, but keep it clutter free so it is still inviting.

Rotate out the bins so children are excited to see what in the kit this week! Here are some bin ideas to get you started…but really the sky is limit!

Drawing Bin: various types of paper, markers, crayons, ruler, pencils, erasers

            Collage Bin: scrap paper, scissors, fabric squares, ribbon, buttons, feathers, glue

            Eco Creation: tape, scissors, rulers, recycled paper tubes, cardboard, and encourage kids to raid the recycle bin to find even more treasures.

            Spray Paint Bin: several empty spray bottles, liquid water color or food coloring, paper, coffee filters, & plastic stencils. Teach kids how to fill bottles, add color, and then paint!

            Play Dough Bin: dough, cookie cutters, and tools all ready to go

Watercolor Bin: watercolor paper, brushes, paints, and shallow bowls.

Card Making Bin: pre-folded cards, envelopes, stickers, markers, stamps & pads

Beading Bin: pony beads, sorting tray, scissors, string, tape